Final Fantasy VII: The Forgotten SOLDIER
by dreamless-joker
Summary: Upon the unfortunate ending of Crisis Core, Luxiere is never mentioned or seen again. This is a fictional account of what happened when his career took an abrupt turn and he wound up in DeepGround - and the events that occurred after his escape. Takes place after Advent Children, shortly before events of Dirge of Cerberus. This is my first ever fanfic, so yes I'm a newb.
1. Chapter 1 - Descent

He remembered nothing. Nothing except the blade that pierced his abdomen.

_Shelke…_

His vision was blurred, fading, shifting from bright hues of blue into a sea of darkness.

_It was all a lie_…

The lights were gone, the cold metallic floor seemed to vanish, and he became numb toward everything… he thought he could perceive some form of movement…

_I was only a tool…_

He slipped into nothingness. Visions of an Usher flashed through his mind, a side effect of the SND. The imaginary younger sibling, murdered despite the fact she never existed. Vivid hallucinations flashed through his mind – the horrors of Deepground, countless people slaughtered in desperate ambition.

And then… he remembered other things.

He was in a brightly lit room, eating with other men, all in uniform. Another flash, and then he was in a lab, watching as a superior operated a machine and two small, shiny spheres. And then, he was in a combat room, sparring against another of the uniformed men, but this one was clad in black, and wielded an impossibly large blade….

And then came the warmth. He raised a hand to his face, and wiped his eyes as if to clear his vision, sitting up.

_What the…?_

The Mako-enhanced violet eyes gave off a strange radiance as he took in his surroundings, having gone from the dark, cold, blue-lit training room to endless space. Above him, below him, to each of his sides, he perceived nothing but an abyss – and the green tendrils of Lifestream surrounding him.

Bewildered, he stood up, looking into nothingness as he took in his surroundings.

_Is this death?_

The SOLDIER scanned the unfamiliar environment for any signs of life, but saw nothing but darkness and Lifestream. If this was death, it was not what he expected. No deities, no judgement, no pain…

Wait. No pain? He looked at himself, and his confusion only increased. He was no longer clad in the standard-issue Mako suit, as the red stripes of Team Ifrit were absent from his uniform. He now wore his old uniform, the pale purple suit of a SOLDIER 2nd class. A metallic bangle was securely worn on his left wrist, which gave him an odd asymmetrical appearance considering he only wore one pauldron, on his right shoulder.

Everything down to his boots was familiar, but new. It was as if trying to remember someone he'd never met.

A growing brilliance yanked the confused young man from his thoughts, and then he saw it. The Lifestream began to coalesce a small distance away. It swirled, growing in height before it began to shift, taking the shape of…

_YOU!_

He reached for – nothing, it wasn't there. And then he looked up to find the young woman in front of him. She was tall, with dark red hair and the bright Mako blue eyes that were a SOLDIER trademark. He was mistaken, that couldn't be her… she was… too _old_ to be Shelke.

Blank, emotionless eyes stared into his as she leaned forward and embraced him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, before droning on in a familiar, expressionless voice.

"I'm sorry, there was no other way…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, finally breaking his silence. "Where are we?"

"You," she began with the slightest emphasis, "are about to wake up." She pulled away from him, turning in the opposite direction and walking away. He put his hands to his face, pain suddenly racing through his head as more visions came to him. Riding in a truck through the dense Wutai jungle as he shared misgivings with the other men, to being in a tent as he watched another man in his uniform receive orders from a man in a black coat and long silver hair, to finally, in an office, as a man behind a desk pushed a manila envelope toward him and said the word "Deepground."

And then came the warmth again. His hand fell from his face and he looked up to find the woman gone, a brilliant radiance in her place, at the center of which was a large bird. Its face and breast were a bright orange, it's body a deep purple. A rainbow of colored feathers sat just below large, brown wings, the ends of with were tipped with fire. The majestic bird shrieked, a piercing, feral scream that pierced the silent abyss, and then everything was brighter, warmer, harder…

"UGH!"

He sat up in a gurney, sweat dripping off of his face, breathing hoarsely as if he'd been back in the Wutaian jungles, sprinting for his life…

But he wasn't. He was in an empty room, barely bigger than the bedroom he'd had as a child. A loud thunderclap outside further brought the man to his senses, however perplexed he still might be.

The young man sighed, leaning over and standing up from the bed. He was still in that damned Mako suit, but the bands of Mako weren't lit – the suit was off, just like the lights in the room, the only illumination coming from large windows on the wall directly behind and across from his bed. He extended an arm to the nightstand next to his gurney, turning on a lamp. A dim light filled the room, not that he needed it – Mako eyes could easily see in the dark. He scanned the small room, figuring it must have been a medical lab. The gurney he had rose from looked exactly the like ones in the infirmary back in Midgar. The nightstand next to it was unremarkable, a few energy bars and the lamp the only items of notice. He picked one up and opened it, savoring the chocolate and granola as he bit into it, and reached for the clipboard at the end of the gurney.

The ledger was as dull as the rest of the room, the scribbles on it clearly having been meant for the previous occupant of the bed. Satisfied that it had nothing else to offer, he looked up, a bright object catching his eye under a discarded lab coat. He stood up and walked to the opposite side of the room, removing the coat and letting out a relieved sigh.

Five colored orbs sat on the counter, all in a plastic bag. Folded neatly underneath it was his old SOLDIER uniform, his pauldron and wrist bangle off to the side, laying next to a long, wooden box with a SOLDIER logo on it, accompanied by a single word: "Crisis".

He opened it, and finally had his confusion replaced by something else – happiness. Within the box was a longsword of dark steel. It resembled hi s old SOLDIER broadsword, but this one had a longer blade, no cross-guard, and ornate, violet leather on the hilt. In the corner of the box, a note caught his eye.

_I shall not let death touch you. This is only the beginning. Go to Midgar and seek out Reeve – Argento_

Reeve? From Urban Development? The name wasn't of importance, but it was the word "Argento" that was suddenly jarring him… and then he remembered her name. He remembered the "training". He remembered Usher. He remembered the Restrictor. He remembered being told it was all a lie.

Then, he remembered his life. SOLDIER. The war. Shin-Ra. Kunsel. Zack. Captain Rhapsodos. Captain Hewley. His promotion to 2nd, in a ceremony with two other survivors, by the Silver General himself… and then he remembered his name.

SOLDIER 2nd Class Luxiere quickly disrobed, tossing the Mako suit in a corner as he put on _his_ uniform, securing his armor and clothes, before he examined the Materia. One red, three green, and a blue sat before him.

_Phoenix. _He pressed the red orb into his right forearm, the Materia easily passing into his flesh.

_Gravity. Exploder Blade. Elemental Ward… _he pressed Gravity and Elemental Ward into his arm as he did with Phoenix, placing the second green orb – Exploder Blade – into one of the circular slots in his new weapon.

Enjoying the slight tingle of the Materia still being absorbed into him, he looked at the last Materia, a dark green one that he'd sorely missed. He picked up the orb, a grim smile appearing on his face as he pressed it into his arm and watched it become seamlessly absorbed into him. Attaching Crisis to the magnetic harness on his back, he strode to the lone door in the small office, opening it.

The sight of a storm greeted him, the occasional thunderclap in the sky a perfect match to the downpour. He was in the wilderness, a blank stretch of flat plains extending into the distance below, the rocky plateau he was on providing a clear view of the expanse. Luxiere raised his arm, flexing it and concentrating as he felt the familiar sensation. Red flames with hues of black and green suddenly surrounded his forearm, and he swung it forward, three of the evil-looking fireballs shooting forward into the sky.

_Hell Firaga_, _how I've missed you_.

Luxiere turned around, scanning the small shack one more time. It was one of Shin-Ra's small outposts, a rest stop where medics could stabilize the injured before they took the long trip back to Midgar; which loomed off in the distance, its telltale center building a blemish on the horizon.

However, if this outpost was here, that meant there was a road nearby.

Smirking, Luxiere took Crisis off of his back and gave a few practice swings. Deepground had deprived him of a sword for so long – the familiarity of practicing with one was refreshing, as well as a necessity – he had plenty of work to do with it, and plenty of candidates to vent his aggression on.

The SOLDIER sheathed Crisis, and withdrew back into the small room, opting to travel when the rain had stopped. Collapsing onto the gurney, he made himself comfortable before the sounds of rain eased him off into sleep.

o-o-o-o-o

The Pegasus Rider verified the subject was asleep, her goggles peering through the door his quarry had conveniently left ajar. This was almost _too_ easy…

Her PHS beeped, the incoming call coming just as expected.

"Specialist Moira," a female voice said calmly over the device. "Status of Violet?"

"Asleep," Moira replied. "He woke up, ate, and collected his Materia. He is able to competently use it – he cast Hell Firaga when he awoke." She paused, a thunderclap distracting her. What was with the weather lately? "Also," she said, continuing, "I believe Argento gave him a weapon. I imagine that she was involved in his escape. " Putting thoughts of the ornate sword out of her mind, she finished her report. "Further orders?"

"None," the voice responded, as a thunderbolt ripped into the horizon a distance away. "Maintain current observation of subject V."

o-o-o-o-o

If there was anything, ANYTHING in the world that he could have right now, it would be a drink.

To hell with a girl, even one of the more "generous" ones that could be found below the plate, to hell with riches, he had enough Gil, and to _hell_ with his former aspirations – if he could have slapped the hell out of his child self for even entertaining the notion of becoming SOLDIER…

But complaining was of no use. And besides… he had a drink. Finally.

Exiting the elevator, Kunsel Harringer took off his helmet, tossing it on an empty couch as he took a seat in an empty chair at the table. Their table, although it was empty except for one person.

"Well, _you_ look like shit," SOLDIER 2nd class Sophia Lawrence began, smiling at her exhausted friend as she slid a shotglass across the table.

"Hell, don't we all?"

"Yeah," Sophia answered in her Corel accent. "But you _especially_ look like shit today." She poured a shot for the two of them and then continued. "And I mean the exotic kind of shit, like if you feed a bunch of Chocobos nothing but Wutaian food for a week, and then had it cooked by Ifrit in this rain and served on a –"

"I get it, Soph," Kunsel said with a slight smile. He took the glass and the two SOLDIERs each downed their glasses.

_Sol Rum_, Kunsel mentally deduced the identity of the liquid that just finished burning his throat. _At least Corel is good for something._

Sophia took a long sigh and looked out of the window. Weather in Edge was usually dry, so at first the rain was a nice change to the norm, but… it had been storming for _the whole week_. The best respite since had been a single overcast day in which it didn't rain, but it had been to brief. The rain had been relentless ever since.

But… things weren't _bad, _per se.

Following Meteorfall, Shin-Ra, and the horribly corrupt city it constructed, had collapsed. Since the catastrophe, the city of Edge was built (albeit with Shin-Ra's resources), in a testament to the company's remnant s willing to pursue a better future. For now it seemed, the much-maligned citizens of Edge seemed to believe it – much of the company had fallen and to be honest, what further damage could they do? And so had begun an era of rebuilding – a sensation of quiet optimism among those who remained in the shadow of Midgar's ruins, all attempting to enjoy the relative calm, or committing themselves to a more prosperous future.

At least, until another catastrophe occurred again. If it wasn't Sephiroth, the Silver General who'd inexplicably gone mad and became the Planet's greatest threat, there was likely something else that would come and prove to be a test to their sanity.

_Stop_, she told herself. _Director Tuesti said we shouldn't be so pessimistic._

And with a sigh, she reached for the bottle of rum, the emblem of Costa Del Sol on the bottle only serving to darken her mood more – all of the opportunities at home in Corel, and she wanted to come _here_? Being the rare female SOLDIER wasn't too much of an obstacle – her marksmanship was peerless and her sword prowess was a force to be reckoned with – but why in Gaia's name did she give herself this stress?

She sighed again, as she poured the two glasses full, too deep in her thoughts to hear Kunsel's alcoholic jokes. If only Zack were here…

The pair of SOLDIERs downed their glasses a second time, and Kunsel broke Sophia's concentration.

"So, did this Reeve guy say anything about why the hell we're here?"

Kunsel looked up at Sophia as she realized the question was directed at her. "Umm, no," she began. "Just something about being ready for Lee when she gets back." She leaned back in her seat and thought back to their meeting with the Director. "The most he told us was that he was interested in the case of some missing SOLDIERs and he wanted us to help identify someone he was bringing back."

This caught Kunsel's attention, who stopped fidgeting with the handle of his Hardedge to give her his attention. "Did he say any names?"

"Yeah," Sophia responded blankly, as she lazily eyed her Force Stealer laying against the far window. "I think his name was Luxiere Rai?"

o-o-o-o-o

_Damn it!_

Luxiere leaned backward, the lunge of the Needle Kiss missing his neck by inches. It paid a high price for its inaccuracy as Luxiere swung his blade downward, Crisis easily bisecting the smaller bird. One opponent down, he turned to face the remaining birds. At least three had flown away, but five of the birds – the mothers protecting their eggs, he guessed – had remained, two of them having fell to Crisis already.

If anything else, Lux liked his new sword. He liked fighting without one of those damn helmets even better, having found a black beanie in the medical shack, and some coffee to help shed his exhaustion. The energy boost and the increased visibility were a much needed change.

He sprinted toward the nest where the last screeching birds were hovering, two of the smaller ones flying straight at him, their sharp beaks rapidly closing the distance.

In a move that would make Zack proud, he slid _under_ the birds, slashing horizontally as he skidded against the ground. Both birds fell, one attempting flight with its remaining wing.

_And that leaves – oh, Gaia…_

The Jatayu – larger and differently colored than its Needle Kiss brethren, rose from the ground nest. Whereas the Needle Kiss was the size of a small child, this remaining bird was larger than a Chocobo.

And fast too, Luxiere observed, as he rolled to avoid a lunge that almost impaled him.

_Okay… let's try something else._ Luxiere mentally cycled through the Materia he absorbed until he came to Gravity, concentrating and extending his arm as a dark ball of energy descended onto the Jatayu, as it paused in the air to correct its aim.

_Go!_ Luxiere sprinted forward, the dark steel of his blade glowing a faint gold, as leapt into the air, overtaking the struggling creature and slashed downward, the shockwave of Exploder blade slamming into it. As Luxiere landed, the Jatayu fell earthward, screeching and struggling to get airborne, before a final slash put the creature out of its misery.

With a sigh, Lux flexed his arm and extended it, casting Hell Firaga over the nest. Of all the things that could be by his temporary sleeping quarters, he supposed it could be worse – there were far more challenging opponents than a flock of Needles to contend with, and that was fortunate – he expended a significant amount of effort just to kill five birds.

He chucked as he returned to the room, sitting on the gurney and taking a drink.

_A Behemoth or a Vajradhara would kick my ass right now…_

He downed the bottle of juice, the sweet liquid a pleasant sensation in his otherwise dry mouth. The rain had eased this day, and he'd slept well into the afternoon. The sun lit the clouds a brilliant shade of orange as it set, just as thunder began to rumble. The air was warm and humid, droplets scattered all over the leaves of the few trees spaced out atop the plateau the shack was on. Despite waking up to find the Needle Kiss in his room, and subsequently having to eliminate its flock, the afternoon had been a quiet, solitary one – even if he didn't realize he wasn't alone.

o-o-o-o-o

Atop rocky outcrop a small distance away, SOLDIER 3rd class Lee Dokujima peered through her binoculars, regarding the lone building atop the plateau. The map Reeve had given her – the REAL map that wouldn't be available to normal requests, had indicated that a large facility sat below this rock, but that was another matter for someone else to deal with – she was here for Luxiere, the SOLDIER clad in the old-style uniform.

"He's here," the Wutaian SOLDIER said quietly, "I don't imagine anybody else would be wandering around out here in an old SOLDIER outfit. But why did you need me to come here?"

Just underneath her, an excited voice spoke up. "What!? I don' know if he's even gonna listen ta me!" Cait Sith #3 hopped down the outcrop, landing nimbly among the ground. "An I told ya, there was somwun' else here last night! Lady in a weird glowin' suit!"

Lee paused. That wasn't the first time she'd heard such a thing described… and files taken from Scarlet and Heidigger's ruined offices gave credence to the rumors that Shin-Ra had more atrocities going on…

"Okay," she began, regarding the little robot. "You go scout the area and I'll cover you," she said, sheathing her broadsword and picking up her Peacemaker revolver. "Besides, why would he attack a cat?"

This logic seemed to sate Cait Sith, but before he proceeded to the house, the voice of Reeve blared out from the microphone inside him. "Do as she says. We don't have any reason to believe operative Rai is a hostile. We need him. Out."

"You better not be gettin' me killed!" And with that, the robot nimbly ran toward the house.

o-o-o-o-o

Lux toyed around with the PHS he had found in the room. It wasn't a newer model, judging by how familiar he was with it – but according to the date, he'd been in Deepground's clutches for _three years_.

He sighed. His fragmented memory was slowly giving him bits and pieces of his life, but… not fast enough. He remembered SOLDIER for sure. He vaguely remembered his troubled friend Zack, the ever laid-back Kunsel, the meticulously detailed Lee… but then it got fuzzy. Sebastian, and Essai, he vaguely remembered, but something made him worry about them. His memory of the fallen Captain Hewley, and the defector, his former Captain Genesis were slightly clearer. But his memory of Sephiroth, his hero – the time when he and Jacob were promoted, in person, by _the Silver General_ of all people – he'd never forget that. Yet…

Every time he tried to remember more, it hurt. That combined with the PHS's limited ability to hold a secure connection meant he was out of answers until he got to Midgar – and at the thought of going back to that damned place, he sighed again.

"For the love of Gaia, why _me?_"

"Well kid, Gaia ain't gonna help ya but if ya needin' somethin', let's talk!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Discovery

_The younger, smaller assailant defended himself with wide, but precise strikes. His katana was of no ordinary make, easily deflecting the blows of the larger sword with ease. After they traded blows, the younger man, clad in black leather, silver hair barely obscuring his face, leaped to a higher point on the ruined building. Cloud looked up at him, readying his sword, spinning it over his head as he timed the strike – Kadaj leapt from the building, yelling with desperation as he aimed a powerful blow toward the blonde swordsman – and the force of Cloud's parry knocked him away, Kadaj barely able to grab hold of the edge._

_ The smaller swordsman looked downward, eying his double-bladed katana, the Souba, as it plummeted into the distance below. The sound of boots on cement yanked his attention from the abyss below, and he looked up to see Cloud, wearing a grim expression on his face as he held the blade of the completed Fusion Swords inches from Kadaj's face. _

_ Defiant, Kadaj threw the box at Cloud, who knocked it away, inadvertently opening it. Green Mako dribbled from the box as it opened, the top of a humanoid skull slipping out, brain matter visible as the light struck it._

_ An invigorated Kadaj leapt from the building, grabbing the contents and shooting Cloud a malevolent grin._

_ "My Reunion… bet you're dying to watch…"_

_ And with that, Kadaj pressed the bones and flesh into his torso, groaning as the JENOVA cells were absorbed by his body, black tendrils of corrupt Lifestream manifesting around his body._

_ Cloud remembered the battles with JENOVA's forms of Birth, Life, Death, and Synthesis. Fearing Kadaj would transform into something horrific, he jumped from the ledge and pursued Kadaj downward, as the younger, silver-haired man's groaning ceased, and he landed on a ruined building with slow, graceful ease. Cloud quickly caught up, his blade swinging down into the man's body – only to be met with a metallic slam, his blade caught in mid-air._

_ Perplexed, Cloud's confusion was soon abated as the source of the resistance appeared: the Masamune blade, materializing in a flash of pale green light. And then Cloud could only gasp as his worst fears were realized:_

"Good to see you… Cloud."

_No…_

"Cloud?"

_NO…._

"Cloud!"

"Wha…?"

Denzel shook the swordsman awake, worried about the horrified expression he wore. He stepped back as he saw Cloud gradually come out of his reverie, rejoining the waking world.

"Cloud! Are you okay!?"

"Yeah… I'm fine," Cloud listlessly replied. He looked skyward, the pewter clouds obscuring what would have been a clear, sunny sky. "Go back to sleep, I'll be alright."

"Uh… okay," Denzel said with obvious doubt in his voice. The kid walked a short distance away to his sleeping bag, giving Cloud a final, furtive look before he drifted off to sleep.

Something Cloud sorely needed.

The blonde stood, walking away from Denzel, Fenrir, and their makeshift campsite. Not wanting to chance making the trip back to Edge in the rain, so they had parked under a rocky formation just outside of Kalm. The stony enclosure would provide adequate shelter for the night, and the extra sleep from so much driving would be more than pleasant – but then the dreams began again.

After he performed the Omnislash on Sephiroth, the maddened SOLDIER had dissipated, leaving Kadaj to rejoin the planet with Aerith's Great Gospel. Even despite a surprise attack from Yazoo and Loz, his victory had seemed complete – at least, to an outside observer. Sephiroth had him beaten, broken, and severely lacerated – were it not for Zack's timely intervention, Cloud knew he wouldn't have survived, but… defeating Sephiroth with a single Limit Break?

That was confusing enough by itself. But then recently, the dreams began. Constant flashes of his conflicts with the Silver General, from the Nibelheim reactor, to the Whirlwind Maze, to when Sephiroth had all but turned him into a human kebab above the Midgar wastes…

The blonde swordsman walked back to his sleeping bag, confirming his swords were safely tucked away in Fenrir, and that Denzel was asleep. He would not let these recurring nightmares get the best of him; even if he knew what they meant.

o-o-o-o-o

If Cait Sith were human, he may have understood why people took his existence with such surprise, but then again, maybe he wouldn't. In a world full of Materia, superhuman SOLDIERs, the giant WEAPONs made of gemstones, and the catastrophes that were wrought by Shin-Ra, why were so many people able to still be disturbed by a talking cat?

"What the HELL!?"

"Easy kid," Cait Sith #3 began, "I'm only here to help!"

It was fortunate that Luxiere had been a cat person growing up, or else his reaction may have been far more violent. As such, he couldn't help but be amused at the cat standing on two legs, wearing a crown and happily offering assistance.

Well… it's not like I have anything else to do at the moment, he thought.

"Well," Luxiere began, stating the obvious, "you have my attention."

"Okay then," the small cat replied, "you are Luxiere Rai, your birthplace is the Gold Saucer, you are 24 years of age, and were last employed to Shin-Ra as a SOLDIER 2nd class?"

Luxiere considered the information. His memory had largely returned – his childhood and adolescent years were perfectly clear, as was his… "informed" decision to enter SOLDIER. He smirked as he remembered exactly what he told the Shin-Ra representative when he offered the opportunity to join.

_Nice one, Lux_, he told himself, taking a seat on the gurney.

He put his face in his hands, trying to remember, but… after that, things were a fuzz. He remembered certain people, and certain events, but after his enlistment, things were largely hazy until his career with DeepGround began. And that, he remembered too clearly.

"I… think so?"

"Aww jeez! Lee! Is this kid the one we're here for!?"

"Yes," replied a cold, female voice. "This idiot is who we're after."

Luxiere turned toward the door, catching the briefest glimpse of a pretty, intelligent Wutaian face before she slapped the hell out of him.

"Where the fuck have you_ BEEN!_?"

o-o-o-o-o

By now, Moira was used to the descent, but that didn't make it any less… tiresome.

She'd left subject V shortly after she observed the motorcycle arrive. Seeing SOLDIERs after Meteorfall wasn't a common occurrence, and although she would have liked to gather more information, she was needed back. So she slipped away from the rocky plateau, zooming away on her Zero-G bike. Her trip hadn't taken too long, as the distance from the med station to Midgar was mercifully short. And she was relieved to have reached the concealed Deepground entrance before it rained – coming home soaking wet was not something she planned on doing.

Gradually, the light of the fire-like orange of the clouds, illuminated by sunset, were gone. The dark elevator descended until she was finally in a familiar setting – the Deepground headquarters, a subterranean metallic city beneath a city. Perpetually dark, the gloom was only offset by lights of red and green, alternated to give the residents some sense of time. The only places this differed were the combat labs, were everything was lit by hues of blue.

It was beautiful, but… repetitive, if Moira had to be honest.

She strolled past drilling troopers and bored-looking officers, passing through long dark corridors, and gloomy hallways before she arrived at her destination: an uncharacteristically ornate door, atop a small flight of stairs, flanked by two guards.

Moira flashed her ID to the grunts and one of them hit a button, the doors sliding open to let her through. Moira crossed the threshold and was treated to the sight of a warmly lit room, adorned with fine wooden furniture. Books lined the bookcases, most having to do with weapons research. Weapon models and machine concepts in glass displays were lined up on an adjacent wall. The owner of the room sat at her desk, an expectant expression on her face: she was platinum blonde, red lipstick bright on her pale, thin face. She was extremely attractive, despite the scars on her cheek and forehead, permanent reminders of her foolish overconfidence in her precious machines.

"Operative," Scarlet greeted Moira coldly. "What do you have to report?"

"Subject Violet was thought to be deceased after an altercation with the Restrictor," Moira began. "Despite this, due to what I believe was a Phoenix Down, he is alive and well. Although I cannot say that obtaining a Phoenix Down or a Raise Potion while in the Games would have been out of his reach, I do not know how he went from certain death to winding up on the surface."

Scarlet looked almost bored as she poured herself a glass of whisky. "That much, I already knew," she said haughtily. She shook a pill bottle into her hand, counting out four painkillers. She then tossed the pills in her mouth, downing them with a long sip of liquor. "Is there anything that would actually interest me? If not, I'm sending you back to eliminate him."

Moira paused, mentally phrasing her words so that her healthy dislike of Scarlet wouldn't be obvious. "I believe Subject Violet would require something more… substantial," Moira said. "His previous augmentations as a SOLDIER are still present. Combined with the additional experimentation performed on him with D.G., I do not believe he should be underestimated. Furthermore, he is armed-"

"You said he never left the building."

"He did not," Moira replied coldly. "However, within the room, there was both a sword – which I believe to be of Argento's craftsmanship – and an EC."

"EC?"

"Equipment capsule. I believe that it contained Subject V's possessions prior to his induction with us, as it contained a Lazard-era SOLDIER uniform, and several Materia."

Scarlet swore. As much as she'd invested into this program, sending a group of troops small enough to recapture or eliminate the specimen discreetly was all but impossible. The quality and quantity of SOLDIER had significantly decreased since Genesis' desertion, but even so, she had seen the havoc Zack Fair wrought upon _an entire battalion_ of heavily armed troopers. Even worse, Subject Violet had been heavily trained in D.G. methods – his skill with both a sword and a firearm allowed him to significantly outperform his peers, and although Scarlet could find some obscure squad to take the mission, the likelihood of their success was minimal.

_This is what I get for playing along with Weiss and Nero's little games, _she thought scathingly.

"Then what is your perception of the subject's combat prowess?"

"Formidable," Moira replied. "I identified one of his Materia as Hell Firaga. He also possesses a summon Materia, and a support Materia. He has two others I wasn't able to identify. If he has retained his swordsmanship and Materia skill from SOLDIER, those abilities combined with what he learned down here would make him a legitimate threat."

"Noted," Scarlet said, as she re-filled her glass. "Continue providing surveillance as necess-

"There's one more thing," Moira said. "A SOLDIER 3rd on a motorcycle was approaching the med station as I left. I doubt it's a coincidence…"

Scarlet's interest was piqued. Some lone SOLDIER, conveniently showing up at a disused medical station? When an "M.I.A." second class happened to be there? That couldn't be coincidence. But even more amusing was the look of puzzlement on Moira's face.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, however just something peculiar. There was… a cat with her. And I could swear it was wearing a crown."

_ Damn you, Reeve._

"Return to the outpost and keep me abreast of Subject Violet's activities," Scarlet said. "I will let you know shortly if he is to be eliminated. Understood?"

"Yes, director," Moira replied, taking the unspoken hint and leaving the office.

As the younger woman left, Scarlet let out a sigh and put a cool hand to her aching forehead – more a result of stress than the hangover. She picked up a tablet on her desk and typed commands into it, searching for any relevant information on Subject V – who was to become Luxiere the Violet. He'd have been the newest Tsviet, had Weiss' ambitions not interfered.

She scanned through the ledger, typing in passwords and logins until she had found what she needed, the headline catching her eye.

SUBJECT: LUXIERE RAI, SOLDIER SECOND CLASS

_Fancy name, huh?_

EXPERIMENT HISTORY: STANDARD SOLDIER MAKO AUGMENTATION [COMPLETE], STANDARD DEEPGROUND AUGMENTATION [COMPLETE]

_Great. At least he's got the best of both worlds. Way to make my damn job easy_, she thought, taking another sip of liquor.

EXPERIMENTAL TSVIET AUGMENTATION TYPE SEVEN: VIOLET [FAILED], ALTERNATE TSVIET AUGMETNATION TYPE J: [COMPLETE]

_Type-J?_

Curious, Scarlet tapped the touchscreen and a list was extended. She thoroughly scanned the contents, a slight smirk turning into a deranged smile as she got further down the list, finally turning into raucous laughter.

She then gave a contented sigh, finishing off her drink and gathering her card keys.

Hojo was a pretentious bastard, but damned if his… "emergency measures" weren't a blessing.

o-o-o-o-o

There was no noise in the hollow room, other than the downpour outside and Sophia's tinkering. Kunsel sadly looked over the empty combat room, reminiscing on how he'd won plenty of Gil here in SOLDIER's heyday, happily gambling with the other Seconds and Thirds over "sparring" matches. He'd also become a more refined swordsman there as well; the sessions he'd had with Zack, Lux, Essai, and Sebastian were experiences he'd never forget – the occasion when Sophia soundly defeated him also stuck out, but he preferred not to think about that. The room wasn't the genuine training room – what remained of the Shin-Ra building was leveled by Sephiroth as he toyed with Cloud – but this was a working replica in Edge's W.R.O. headquarters, although it was under maintenance at the moment.

He stood alone in the empty space, brandishing his Hardedge and swinging at an imaginary target, parrying, thrusting, and slashing, wishing he had something tangible to take out his anxiety on. Turning the sound of tools working behind a metal podium , he called to his companion.

"Any progress back there, Soph?"

"Workin' on it," she replied.

Sophia was always the one who was good with technology, becoming the squad's demolition expert once Heidigger had taken over SOLDIER and modified how they handled missions. There were no doors to be hacked, or terrorist technology to defuse now, however – Sophia was merely trying to get the simulator working again. If nothing else, it was a relief to have something to do – the memory of salvaging the technology from the abandoned halls of what remained of the Shin-Ra building were down right creepy.

_And that used to be my home…_

She put the unpleasant thought from her mind, focusing on the upcoming meeting with Reeve. He'd been the only Shin-Ra executive who reached out to former Shin-Ra personnel, offering them honest work in the atonement of Shin-Ra's sins. As one of the few SOLDIERs left, she'd happily accepted, although tracking down some kindred spirits had proven difficult.

At least, until she discovered that some of them were drinking their lives away in Shin-Ra manor.

Fondly remembering the sight of being greeted by a belligerently drunken Kunsel, she smiled as she connected the last wire, the console lighting up.

_Good girl_, she thought, sliding from under the console and securing the outer panel. She then stood, toying with the configurations as Kunsel put on his helmet and assumed a stance.

"What do you want?"

"Surprise me," Kunsel replied.

Sophia grinned, pressing buttons and typing commands, as the room darkened and the simulation began. Looking directly at Kunsel, she would have seen nothing – the full effects of the simulation could only be viewed via a screen next to the command console. She was ready to enjoy the show when her PHS rang.

"Lee?"

"Soph, where ya at?"

"Kunsel and I are in the training room," Sophia replied, taking a quick glance at the view screen, and watching with interest as Kunsel dispatched three Sahagins with precise slashes of his Hardedge. "You on the way back?"

"Yeah, I'm bringing Lux inside before we all meet Reeve… so we can see if we're all on the same page."

"Sounds good to me."

"We'll be upstairs in a few. Trying to find a place to park."

Sophia hung up the device, pocketing it and turning back to the screen, as Kunsel stepped over a fresh Sahagin corpse and turned to face a Behemoth.

_This is gonna be good…_

o-o-o-o-o

Cloud had just dropped Denzel off at Seventh Heaven when he'd received the call from Reeve. Reeve hadn't kept in touch as frequently as say, Barret or Yuffie, but admittedly, as head of the W.R.O., both Director Tuesti and his Cait Sith units had plenty of work to do.

Fenrir roared through the drenched streets of Edge, the bike quieting as it approached a small café stand. As expected, a tall man with a black ponytail, dressed in a blue trench coat was waiting under a nearby awning to meet him, accompanied by a small cat on two legs carrying a briefcase.

"Reeve, Cait," the swordsman greeted in his usual dull tone.

Happy to see you too," Cait Sith sarcastically replied. Clearly this was #2, the one that had been with Cloud's party since the sacrificial demise of the first unit. "Try to hide some of yer enthusiasm, would ya?"

Reeve smiled, but didn't elaborate on Cait Sith's remark. "I'm glad you could meet me," he began politely. "I have something to address that you may be able to assist with."

"And that is…?"

"I've been recruiting from Shin-Ra's former personnel," Reeve began, sipping the coffee he'd bought, "and although I've found some willing troopers, I recently managed to get some SOLDIERs interested-"

Cloud sighed. People had claimed to be SOLDIER before, and then quickly become overwhelmed by ordinary missions outside of Edge. He already knew where this was going.

"And you would like to evaluate them?"

"Yes, I would," Reeve answered in a business-like tone. "I would also like to address a concern I have regarding the continued safety of Edge. Tell me, Cloud: does the word 'Deepground' mean anything to you?"

x-x-x-x-x

Author's footnote: I'm attempting to keep this as realistic as possible, with as few OC's as I can manage. So for those of you who have played Crisis Core, these references will be easier to understand. I shall elaborate on the profile of Lee later, but I insert Sophia as the SOLDIER who sent Zack messages and missions regarding the "End the War with Wutai" mission line through the PHS. Details to come later.


	3. Chapter 3 - Wounds

Kunsel misjudged the reach of the Behemoth's limb and paid dearly for it.

"Ugh!"

The paw slammed into his back, knocking him several feet forward and into a tree. The fact that it was an element in a digital simulation didn't make it hurt any less, and wincing, he regained his footing.

_Right. Looks like I won't get that close again_.

The SOLDIER entered his stance, the massive Hardedge firmly in his grip. In the hands of a conventional human, the giant, rectangular blade would have been unwieldy. In Kunsel's hands, its clumsiness was offset by the precise nature of his strikes.

The combatants strafed each other, moving in a circle as each evaluated the other.

_Okay, let's see how you like this._

Kunsel paused, concentration on his face as he extended his arm. The Behemoth took advantage of his stillness and rushed forward – only to run directly into the Thundara spell. The creature stumbled, groaning with pain as it the current moved through its body.

_Perfect._

Kunsel sprinted forward, channeling bolts of Thundara through his sword as it began to glow with the telltale signs of Thundara Blade. Moving to cut a vertical slash directly into the stunned creature's head, it disappeared, and the lush wilderness of the simulated Junon woodlands was gone, replaced by the spaciousness of the empty simulation room.

_Great timing, Soph_.

Kunsel turned to the console, prepared to endure Sophia's sarcasm – and instead leaped into the air to avoid the ball of flame that would have struck him, had he lacked the enhanced reflexes of a SOLDIER.

"The hell…?"

"You looked sloppy!"

Kunsel looked the console in disbelief. It had been three years since he'd seen Luxiere, the shy, aloof member of their squad, and now he seemed… older, yet exactly the same. Lux was still tall, and very lanky, having never acquired the build that Zack, let alone someone like Angeal ever did. He still kept his hair cut low and he still was wearing the older pale purple Second uniform. Everything about him from his armor, to his suit, to his coffee-colored skin was the same.

Except his eyes.

Commonly, Mako-enhanced eyes turned various shades of blue, green, or something in between. But the brilliant violet eyes Luxiere had now were not the aqua-colored ones he'd left with.

_Please for the love of Gaia, don't tell me you were one of Hojo's 'guests'_, he thought. He'd discovered what happened to Zack and an Infantryman after digging through documents in the ruined Shin-Ra building – Kunsel could only hope that Lux escaped that fate.

"Well hey, asshole! Nice to see you back," Kunsel retorted happily, moving to the console and embracing his friend. "I see Lee gave you my message," he said, motioning to the slightly swollen cheek.

"Yep. I was almost concerned. She seemed upset and I could not possibly understand why…"

o-o-o-o-o

Reeve's sedan pulled up to the empty lot of the W.R.O. headquarters. Except for a few scattered lit windows, the building was largely as dull and silent as its surroundings. Cloud, Reeve, and Cait Sith #2 made their way inside, rushing to avoid the rain.

"So who's claiming to be SOLDIER this time?"

"Actually, I doubt they're just making claims," Reeve responded, as he entered the elevator and pushed the desired button. "I've located Shin-Ra records on all four of them."

_Four?_ Cloud remained impassive. For an organization that had once been the pride of Shin-Ra, it sure was hard to find genuine SOLDIERs nowadays.

"So who are they?"

"Before we meet them, we're stopping in my office so you can get a brief look at their records personally. However… Lee Dokujima of Wutai, noted for stealth and marksmanship is the one who should have just returned. Sophia Lawrence of Costa Del Sol, noted for Demolitions, technological prowess, and swordsmanship, should already be here. Luxiere Rai, who went missing around the time that your incarnation of AVALANCHE began harassing Shin-Ra may or may not be back yet, and… Kunsel Harringer. Longest-tenured SOLDIER of the four, however, he became considerably disillusioned with the company upon the death of his friend, Zack."

_He knew Zack_?

Not for the first time that day, Cloud suppressed his nervousness, only halfway listening to Reeve as the elevator made its climb to the top floor.

o-o-o-o-o

"… so yeah, I'm not sure," Luxiere finished, grateful to finally be done speaking. His story had been a short one: he remembered everything up to his adolescence and most of his career at SOLDIER, before meeting a faceless man in a dark room and being offered the envelope – and mention of the word 'Deepground'. For the most part, they'd reacted exactly as he expected – confusion, understanding, offering to help if needed – but that was only because he told them what he wanted to. He'd decided against telling them about the Games, violent competitions between Team Shiva and Team Ifrit that traded countless lives just to gain some recognition in the chaos of D.G. He'd also not told them about the Tsviets, his temporary death, and the mental games Shelke had played with his mind – he planned on keeping that to himself.

Perhaps… at least until he got drunk later and spilled the beans to Kunsel anyway.

"So is somebody gonna tell me what happened to Midgar? And SOLDIER? And Shin-Ra?"

Sophia let out a low whistle and Lee sighed.

"Well, I mean… he's been out of the loop since around Zack's death," Kunsel said sadly. Even after all this time, that still stung.

"Okay… so maybe I'll ask that question later," Luxiere said with a hint of sadness. "Does the sim work?"

"Yeah, just fixed it," Sophia said, admiring the dark steel of the longsword Luxiere brandished. "Where'd you get that? It kind of looks like an Enhance sword, just without the all the guard… and all of the Materia slots." she said.

_Well, I could tell you I got it from a psychotic bitch who watched people slaughter each other all day, but there's no fun in that._

He didn't know why, but suddenly Luxiere seemed intensely aggravated. The thought of Deepground was frustrating as usual, but for reasons he couldn't identify, he'd gone from quietly nervous, to annoyed, to furious. He stalked away with Crisis, moving to the simulation floor. He needed to hit something. He needed to see something fall. He needed to see someone die, and by his own hand.

_The imaginary SOLDIER approaches._

_Kill him._

_He is unworthy among you..._

_Kill him_

_Send him unto the Planet, where all of the traitors belong._

"Ugh…"

Luxiere leaned against a wall, putting a hand to his eyes as if to clear his vision. Then, he collapsed, on all fours as the voices grew ever louder, and more demanding.

_Are you a SOLDIER or not?_

_What's stopping you…_

_Have you forgotten your honor?_

_KILL HIM_.

o-o-o-o-o

Reeve and Cloud exited the elevator, traversing the long hall toward the training room.

"So I don't think there'll be the same issues as last time – "

"Boss!"

Reeve, Cloud, and Cait Sith #2 were suddenly approached by Cait Sith #3, looking frantic – if an animatronic cat could look frantic.

"Come to the training room! Something's wrong with Lux!"

The four briskly strode to the training room, Cloud drawing the First Tsurugi – just in case.

"Do you really think that's necessary?"

"I don't know, but it can't hurt to help," Cloud said, pressing the touchpad and entering the sliding doors first.

When Cloud entered the room, he had a short glimpse of a SOLDIER 3rd searching the far wall for a medical kit, and two Seconds helping a third Second to his feet.

"What's going on, is he okay?"

"We don't know," Kunsel answered hurriedly as he attempted to pull Lux to his feet, "he just collapsed!"

Cloud moved forward, attempting to assist the two SOLDIERs with their comrade, when suddenly, the man picked his head up, his face wearing a malicious expression and his eyes –

_No_, Cloud thought. _NO_….

"Traitor," Luxiere said softly before he leaped up, placing his hand to his forehead.

Cloud whirled around and tackled Reeve to the floor as Luxiere cast Shadow Flare. An explosion of pink light burst from him, knocking Sophia and Kunsel across the room. A shockwave accompanied the attack, scattering various unsecured objects around the room.

_What_ _the…?_

Cloud leapt up, Reeve crawling away and getting to his feet. He saw Lee running toward a wincing Kunsel and an unconscious Sophia – at least, he hoped she was unconscious. But his attention became fixed on the young strolling toward him, a look of malevolent confidence on his face – and pale green eyes, with cat-eyed pupils.

"Traitor", the man said simply, before raising Crisis and darting toward Cloud.

o-o-o-o-o

"We have full synchronization," Dr. Sloas said, monitoring the screen in front of him. "If Hojo's records aren't outdated, all subjects of J-Type experimentation should be experiencing resonance as we speak."

"Resonance?"

"Forgive me Scarlet, I use these terms too easily," Dr. Sloas said. "Resonance is the term we gave to the event of JENOVA cells in a subject's body becoming active. Although there's several essays Hojo had written on his Reunion theory, the fact that Subject Violet was already a SOLDIER means it is unlikely he will suffer the deterioration that the Sephiroth Clones did, but using this device, we can perform a number of actions, from disabling him, up to triggering an artificial degradation."

"So what is happening to Subject Violet now?"

The doctor turned back to the console, pressing some buttons and manipulating windows on the touch screen.

"Because the cells have been dormant for the entirety of the time they've been in the host body, he will experience what we call 'Initial Synchronization'. The subject's cells will awaken, and until the body adapts – which in the case of this SOLDIER, who has been additionally augmented with D.G. and TSviet treatment, it will likely be a period of a few minutes – the subject is purely feral, falling back on instinct typical of lesser subjects imbued with JENOVA cells."

"So we can control him?"

"Yes… and no. Firstly, the means used the power the machine is very unpredictable. It can only function for a maximum of an hour per use, and then it spends an additional four hours in cool-down." The technician sighed. "You have to understand, this was a relatively primitive idea, and one that Hojo discarded, at that."

"So we can improve it?"

"Yes, but… it may take a while. Hojo jealously guarded his research."

"So until you get the improved model up, what is happening now?"

The technician again turned back to the screen. "At best, we can harass the subject, or if captured, use the machine's ability to incapacitate him to keep him in line, but… only as long as the subject doesn't know the operating limits of the machine. Otherwise," Dr. Sloas paused. "There's nothing really stopping him from going berserk when he recovers."

"I understand. Get your technicians started on updating this thing at once. I want it completed as soon as possible – I don't want that specimen ruining our plans before it's time," Scarlet demanded coldly.

"Yes, ma'am, but there's one more… quirk."

"Quirk?"

"Yes… when using the Resonator, as I said, the subject may behave in a feral manner." He stood, preparing to adjust the machine.

"And it goes without saying, if we're wrong and the Resonator has the effect of making Subject Violet... 'unbalanced', I don't need to warn you of the possible consequences of what could happen when dealing with a JENOVA-enhanced SOLDIER."

o-o-o-o-o

Cloud hadn't used a sword on a human opponent in months. Hopefully, it didn't show.

Luxiere had flown directly at Cloud immediately after he cast the Shadow Flare, swinging Crisis at his neck with blistering speed. It was fortunate that the training room was constructed to be spacious – it gave Cloud room to dodge, parry, and block as needed, while allowing him to evaluate his opponent.

"What, is wrong with you!"

Luxiere didn't respond, performing a wide horizontal slash, and following up with a hard thrust. Cloud slipped beneath the strike, slashing at the Luxiere's exposed side only to strike Crisis, the metallic sound of the blades' contact reverberating throughout the room.

_Fast? Okay._

Cloud pulled back from the locked blades, separating one of the two Switchblades from the Fusion Swords, darting forward to slash at the deranged SOLDIER – and missing entirely.

_Damm it!_

Cloud spun around, raising his sword to block the downward slash, feeling the impact as Crisis struck his larger blade. He then took a retaliatory swing at Luxiere, only for him to parry it. Luxiere slashed at Cloud again, and their blades locked. Cloud looked at his opponent's face and saw the familiar relentless green eyes boring into his – but how?

A familiar disdainful smirk formed on Luxiere's face, and Cloud pushed forward with his blade and threw the slimmer man back, Luxiere landing nimbly on the floor, outstretching his hand as an evil-looking fire began to materialize around his glove.

Frustrated, Cloud shot forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc, forcing Luxiere to leap away before he could cast the flames. The two exchanged strikes in mid-air, the song of metallic clanging echoing through the room as each swung at the other, only to meet the other's blade.

"I tire of this", Luxiere suddenly proclaimed, in a deep voice that Cloud was sure wasn't his own. And with a push, Luxiere forced Cloud away, the blonde swordsman landing on the floor, immediately moving into a defensive stance –

As Luxiere fell earthward, collapsing into the tile.

"What the…?"

"I figured you could use some assistance," Lee said, walking forward to observe the fallen SOLDIER. "I tried casting Sleep like four times and finally I think I got him. What the hell is wrong with him?"

Cloud cautiously walked toward the fallen swordmage, prodding him with his boot.

No movement.

Cloud leaned down, flipping the body on his back. He saw Luxiere's chest rise and fall, and other than a bloody nose – likely sustained in his fall – he seemed unscathed.

"Wow! He must be a SOLDIER for real!"

"Stop, Cait," Reeve said, emerging from an overturned desk to examine the scene. "What just happened?"

Cloud opened the man's eyelids with a finger. The pale green, cat-like irises were gone – replaced by bright, violet pupils.

Not that purple eyes were any more normal, but they were a damn sight more comforting than the eyes of Sephiroth….

"I don't know," Cloud said, sheathing his sword, and taking a seat in a nearby chair as Lee began to clean Luxiere up. "But whatever it is, it can't mean anything good."

"But I swear," Sophia said, as she sat next to Lee, "he was fine just before you two got here…"

_And therein lies the problem_, Cloud thought grimly.

o-o-o-o-o

The Midgar ruins were devoid of life. Except for the occasional Ahriman, or Lesser Worm, the destroyed city was completely empty.

The young man slowly walked toward the pile of rubble. He knew was here. He didn't know how he knew, exactly… he just knew to trust his instincts.

The others were dead, but he was still here. He must be fortunate. He must be favored. She must have chosen him to help her – he wasn't sure why he'd been chosen, as he wasn't the strongest, nor was he the leader, as they had already vanished into the Planet – but if she wanted him to help her, he would.

And as the man moved aside the rubble, he found the broken container, covered with the dried fluid caked around the opening. And he saw his prize: the greying flesh that refused to decay, waiting for its purpose to be fulfilled.

x-x-x-x-x

Wow. My fingers hurt.

I'm going off to enjoy my Saturday night. Thoughts and views on the first three chapters would be very welcome! Enjoy, and see you on Sunday afternoon!


	4. Chapter 4 - Revelations

"Did you not hear what I said?"

"Did you not hear what _I _said? JENOVA cells and S-Cells simply _aren't_ the same thing. True, their properties and origin are similar, as S-Cells are derived from research into JENOVA, but they don't perform the same way… even when imbued in a SOLDIER."

Not for the first time that day, Scarlet sighed and longed for a drink in her hand.

"So," she began tepidly, gesturing toward the broken, smoking, Resonation Device in the center of the small room, "what does anything you just told me have to do with that giant scrap heap?"

Dr. Sloas picked up an electronic ledger, then thought better of it – Scarlet wasn't the type to listen to reason. Or read schematics. "The resonator was conceived as the brainchild of Hojo – he was going to use the device to resonate with the Sephiroth Clones, in order to test a hypothesis that they would assemble with the correct stimulus.

"However, that stimulus was Sephiroth himself, and this device was merely created to test a theory, however Hojo was killed by the second incarnation of AVALANCHE before he could test it. Furthermore, you incorrectly told me that Subject Violet received additional enhancement from S-Cells, rather than J-Cells." Sloas sighed and put the ledger down. "A newer, more resilient Resonator can be built, and it should be functional within a couple of weeks. But-"

"Then what the hell is the difference? Gaia, how many types of the damn cells are there?"

"Scarlet," Dr. Sloas began, "We're only dealing with two. JENOVA cells are purely alien – other than Sephiroth, who was given a _very_ specific dose of the cells during his embryonic development, and this Subject Violet, who was given a test dose, with the same care taken during his Deepground enhancements with Hojo, no other human has successfully bonded with JENOVA cells, and again, I have to stress this – Hojo was merely experimenting with Subject Violet. By all means, there's a very good chance he would've just wound up a Makonoid and nothing more."

He rubbed his aching forehead and continued. "In addition, this requires more research. From a scout within the W.R.O., it was reported that there was an incident yesterday that occurred exactly when the Resonator was switched on, involving an unnamed SOLDIER. From reports, he went berserk upon seeing another unnamed individual, and did a significant amount of damage to the floor he was on. Now, I believe the SOLDIER in question is our Violet, but further research into the different properties of JENOVA cells and S-Cells are required before we attempt this again."

He stood up. "However, if you disagree with my methods, you are more than welcome to send a small detachment to collect the specimen if you wish."

Scarlet was fuming as Sloas, left the room, wishing that he was expendable enough to terminate – however she did not have that luxury. After a few more seconds of regarding the broken apparatus in front of her, she followed suit, leaving the room shortly after Sloas.

This _would_ work. Their plans would be a success, she'd invested too much in this for any other option, she thought, as she pulled out her PHS.

"Officer," she spoke into the device, "send Shelke to my office as soon as possible. I have a new assignment for her."

"Does this take precedence over-"

"_Yes_. Send her to me immediately," Scarlet responded, placing the PHS in her pocket and beginning the walk back to her quarters.

o-o-o-o-o

The crystalline blade of the Force Stealer met the steel of the Hardedge, a resounding _clang_ echoing through the room.

"Must you two do that in _here_?"

"What? We've got room," Kunsel responded sheepishly.

Professor Rayleigh sighed and went back to the monitor, the only source of illumination in the room other than Kunsel and Sophia's Mako-enhanced eyes.

"And I suppose you're bored too, huh?"

"Nah, yo," Reno responded, stretched out on an empty gurney. "I'm just relaxin'".

Rayleigh gave a tired sigh, smiling slightly as she turned back to the screen, which finished its computations and began to load a diagnosis, as the two SOLDIERs sheathed their weapons and sat next to the gurney that contained Luxiere, unconscious since his brief fight with Cloud.

"Any update on what in the name of Ifrit is wrong with him?"

"Well, Cloud wasn't in a particularly talkative mood when we asked him about his observations," Rayleigh said with a sigh. "So other than what you told me about his eyes, the Shadow Flare, and these corrupted Materia, I can't say much."

"Corrupted?"

"Yes," Rayleigh said, turning toward a display case at the foot of Luxiere's gurney, where three green orbs, a red orb, and a blue orb sat. "Now this Elemental Ward, and the Phoenix Materia," she began, motioning toward the two orbs that sat separate from the rest, "are fine. Summon Materia are relatively difficult to tinker with, and the properties of the Elemental Ward that provide its abilities make it resistant to any alterations caused as a result of body absorption.

"Absorbtion?"

"Yes Reno," Rayleigh continued. "Normal troops, Turks, and the average human need bangles, armor, and weapons with Materia slots in order to use their latent abilities. SOLDIERS and other Mako-enhanced beings can absorb Materia directly into their flesh, giving them direct access to the Materia at all times – this also creates a phenomenon in which both the Mako-enhanced user and the Materia are able to have slight influence on each other, which," she began, using a tool to extract a dark green orb "I want to know where he obtained this."

The three other occupants of the room looked blankly at it. Other than the dark shade of green, it looked perfectly ordinary.

"Is that his Hell-Firaga?"

"No, it's Shadow Flare," she said. "And it is the only one of his internal action Materia to survive whatever it was that caused him to go berserk." She placed it next to Phoenix and Elemental ward. "These", she said, motioning toward Hell Firaga, and Gravity, "are 'dead' - they have no further use, they're pretty much just empty balls of congealed Mako. Exploder Blade was left unharmed, as apparently whatever energy source killed the others didn't transfer to his sword," she finished, glancing at Crisis, which sat still under his bed. "Is that Shin-Ra make?"

"No," Kunsel said, picking up the sword and inspecting it. The blade was similar to a standard-issue SOLDIER broadsword, but the blade was longer, narrower, and made of darker steel. It also lacked the curved cross-guard, transitioning seamlessly from hilt to blade. Three Materia slots were in the blade, one occupied by Exploder Blade and the other two empty. "It's too fancy to mass-produce," he finished, admiring the colored leather of the hilt.

A chime from the monitor brought Rayleigh's attention back to the screen, and she read the short paragraph aloud to the room.

"Classification, SOLDIER, L-Type-"

"L-Type?"

"It means he joined up when Lazard was director, Reno," Sophia answered, taking Crisis from Kunsel and admiring it. "When that fat turd Heidigger took over SOLDIER, he modified the enhancement process to make it more economic."

"Nothing unexpected of Shin-Ra," Rayleigh sighed. "Anyway… additional genetic Mako-enhancement confirmed, which means our Lux here was the subject of additional experimentation after he made it into SOLDIER. And finally… presence of G-Cells, inconclusive. Presence of S-Cells, inconclusive. Presence of JENOVA cells… confirmed?"

Kunsel and Sophia looked nonplussed, as Reno and Rayleigh raised their eyebrows.

"So uh," Reno said, sitting up, "who the hell shot him up with JENOVA?"

o-o-o-o-o

The voicemail finished playing, and Cloud finally dismounted Fenrir, fully assembling the Fusion Swords before he entered the decayed lobby of the abandoned Shin-Ra building.

"Hey, I know you're going into Midgar," Rayleigh had said. "If you can, try to find anything in there that would explain why Luxiere tested positive for JENOVA cells."

The call was unnerving, but not unexpected – nobody, even SOLDIER, spontaneously had _those_ eyes and went berserk at the sight of Cloud Strife. At least, nobody recently.

Cloud walked through the vacant foyer, locating a single elevator and pressing the button.

_Please work_, he mentally urged the switch. _Please work…_

Cloud's hopes were met with success as the door chimed and opened a few seconds later, letting him into the elevator.

_Reeve said floors 67 and 68…_

Cloud pressed the appropriate buttons and leaned against the wall as the elevator began its slow ascent. But he slow climb up was far preferable to the walk, and he was content to brood silently while elevator music filled the small space.

The light on the board ascended from 1, and had finally approached 67, allowing Cloud to disembark. The last time he'd been here, well, _they'd_ been here, the elevator stopped prematurely and they had to sneak up a half dozen floors just to get to their destination. Floor 67 housed the Shin-Ra science department headquarters, and floor 68 housed their main laboratories. After Hojo inherited the labs from Professor Gast, the nature of the experiments here had become significantly less ethical – not that President Shin-Ra had cared. But now, the cages were empty, various monitors blank, documents strewn around the disheveled room, abandoned since Meteorfall, and part of the room was missing: telekinetically collapsed by Sephiroth when he dropped part of the upper floors on Cloud in their last battle.

An electronic chime caught Cloud's attention, and he drew his sword, the massive blade ready to meet whatever leftover Shin-Ra machination came to defend the floor – but no challenger emerged.

Wary, Cloud walked slowly toward the other side of the other side of room, lit by the setting sun, as the floor and walls abruptly ended, the rest of the room having fallen far below.

"You're late," a gruff voice said.

Cloud sheathed his sword before his head glanced upwards through a hole in the destroyed ceiling, catching a glimpse of a golden gauntlet, a red, cloak, and matching red eyes. He jumped up, his legs easily carrying him up to the upper floor.

"Vincent… didn't expect to see you here."

"Reeve contacted me yesterday," the former Turk said, flipping through a large textbook. "He mentioned that you had a small… _altercation_."

"We found a few SOLDIERs willing to help the W.R.O."

"I heard," Vincent said, shelving the book and directing Cloud's attention to a pair of monitors. One was a link to the SOLDIER database, the profiles of Sophia, Lee, Kunsel, and Luxiere highlighted. The other had a few windows and a status bar in the middle – clearly Vincent was downloading something.

"Kunsel, Sophia, and Lee seem to be normal," he began, indicating the screen to the left. "They entered under Lazard, served in the Wutai war, had limited actions in the Genesis incident –"

"Genesis?"

"An ex-SOLDIER First," Vincent answered. "He, another First named Angeal Hewley, and Sephiroth were the Firsts in charge during Wutai. He later deserted due to politics between Hojo and a researcher named Hollander."

"I see. So …"

"This Luxiere," Vincent said, minimizing the other three windows and bringing up the last, "is similar to the other three. He joined slightly later than they did, and attained the rank of Second a short amount of time after them, apparently… for actions performed while Shin-Ra headquarters was under attack by rogue machines and Genesis copies."

"How is he different?"

"His record is much like the others. Served with distinction, minor citations for tardiness and alcohol consumption on duty… and even the brief ah, _protest_ that several of the SOLDIERs partook in when Zack died," Vincent continued. "It wasn't as large as the Genesis desertion, but several members of SOLDIER deserted the company upon realizing that Zack had been killed. This further resulted in an isolated incident where several SOLDIERs had an altercation with several Shin-Ra troops."

"I can bet that went well," Cloud said. He felt oddly satisfied that his friend's death hadn't been met without resistance. "What happened?"

"26 SOLDIERs and 469 Shin-Ra troops were killed."

Cloud's head perked up. Even though he'd known of the catastrophic losses suffered by the troopers in their hopes of apprehending Zack, he'd never thought what would occur if multiple SOLDIERs took on multiple troopers. If only…

"Of the 33 SOLDIERs that took part in the insurrection, most of them either fled the company, died in the conflict, or had enough clout within the company to receive administrative punishment. Apparently the 'action' Luxiere was promoted to Second for, was saving President Shin-Ra's life in an earlier attack. He, Kunsel, an unnamed second, and four Thirds were either escaped, or were spared anything higher than pay deductions and the like, although it says here that Kunsel and Luxiere were directly responsible for most of the trooper casualties. As a matter of fact. Luxiere killed the top three Generals of the trooper army himself – cut one of them down, burned one of them alive with Hell Firaga, and killed the last one by throwing him out of a window."

"Remind me to thank him when he wakes up," Cloud said sarcastically, picking up his chirping PHS. "Also, this is for you, from Rayleigh."

Vincent took the small device, staring at the screen impassively before he connected it to the monitor. The four profile windows vanished, and an image of a test tube filled with blood replaced them.

"According to Rayleigh… he has an two unexplained additional modifications outside of normal SOLDIER requirements… and JENOVA cells.

"Where the hell did he get those?"

"The process of assimilating JENOVA cells, outside of fetal development, isn't exactly smooth," Vincent observed. "I highly doubt it was something he signed up for. Most likely, he was sedated for an extended period of time."

"So is he a man-made remnant or something?"

Vincent paused, briefly observing that the monitor on the right was at 79%, as he pondered the question.

"No," Vincent said finally. He stood up, walking toward the destroyed edge of the room, regarding the ruins below.

"Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz were manifested directly from altered Lifestream. I believe that this is due to JENOVA's presence within him, and as such, he isn't able to "die" as normal life forms do – JENOVA prevents his consciousness from diluting within the Lifestream, and thus he isn't "dead".

Cloud's heart skipped a beat. That was _not_ what he wanted to hear.

"So Sephiroth…"

"Isn't dead," Vincent concluded bitterly. "Nor will he ever be, under current conditions. The extraterrestrial nature of JENOVA keeps him alive on a different plane of existence. He wasn't dead after Meteorfall, and he isn't dead after the death of Kadaj. He is largely 'incompatible' with the Lifestream, and thus the Planet won't 'accept' him."

"But the other two remnants died as well."

"Did you confirm the kill?"

Cloud paused. Kadaj had passed into the Lifestream after collapsing in his arms, Aerith's Great Gospel returning him to the Planet. But Yazoo and Loz… after the explosion, he never saw either one again.

"No… I didn't figure anyone was capable of surviving an explosion of unstable Materia," Cloud said simply. "I doubt I can check now… but what does Sephiroth have to do with Luxiere?"

Vincent turned back towards the monitors. 85 percent….

"You were incapacitated after the explosion, however Sephiroth has previously proven he is unnaturally resilient. Now, regarding Lux… Sephiroth is able to shape and manipulate JENOVA's flesh at his will. He is also able to exert influence over those with S-Cells, and exert limited control over those with JENOVA cells. With the presence of JENOVA in his bloodstream… I believe that it had an effect similar to the Reunion of Kadaj: the JENOVA cells, an unknown stimulus shaping the host into a "higher" life form.

"So that wasn't Sephiroth just… possessing him or something?"

"No," Vincent said shortly. "Luxiere, like Zack, was a SOLDIER before he received the cellular modification. You would have never noticed it, but when you were under the influence of JENOVA's presence, or Sephiroth mentally attacking you, your eyes looked exactly like his. Also, outside of the Remnants, I highly doubt Sephiroth can exert psychological control over an individual from the Lifestream – let alone a SOLDIER."

"Great," Cloud said with a sigh. "So the Remnants may or may not be dead, Sephiroth is practically immortal, and… wait, I just thought of something," he said, turning toward Vincent. "I saw Zack and Aerith during the fight… I know it wasn't just a hallucination."

Vincent again looked at the screen. 96 percent.

"Aerith, with Cetran heritage, is resilient to Lifestream dilution as well… the Ancients are too in-tune with the Planet to suffer the same fate as normal dead. As for Zack… one can theorize that the S-Cells injected in him by Hojo have given him a similar resistance to the Lifestream as well.

Cloud stood staring at Vincent, thunderstruck. What he'd heard made sense, but he couldn't believe it all the same.

"So you're telling me since Sephiroth can come back… what would stop us from reviving Aerith and Zack!?"

o-o-o-o-o

_"You again…."_

_ The tall, red-haired woman in the Mako suit stood over Luxiere as he laid on the ground. He was again laying flat in a sea of Lifestream, his eyes skyward into the infinite abyss above him. He was barely cognizant of his surroundings, except for her._

_ "Me again."_

_ "Am I dreaming?"_

_ "Yes, and no," the woman replied._

_ Luxiere stood up –and recoiled in horror. He was naked, his body replaced by blueish-gray skin, veiny and smooth, something profoundly alien._

_ "What the hell!?"_

_ "Wake up, Lux."_

_ Luxiere looked up to find the woman gone, a strange being in her place. A vaguely female humanoid figure, naked except for a metallic apparatus on her face, with a single glowing eye and the same bizarrely colored skin he had._

_ "WAKE UP LUX!"_

_ He felt a sting in his arm and suddenly he was thrashing around…._

"Wake UP, Lux!"

"Damn you!"

Luxiere leaped out of bed, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there, and promptly was smacked with the EMR.

"Argh!"

Luxiere fell off of the bed, collapsing on the tile and gradually coming to his senses.

"Chill, yo. I ain' gonna deal with you spazzin' out an' shit today."

"Damn it… Reno…?"

"The original and best!"

Luxiere wiped his eyes and looked around. He was still in SOLDIER uniform, the greying skin having mercifully been left in his dream. The room was empty, expect for him, Reno, and an unresponsive Cait Sith robot that lay on the other side of the room. Luxiere looked up at the red-haired Turk, his violet eyes slowly adjusting to the light.

"Well don't just stare at me, what the hell happened?"


	5. Chapter 5 - Briefing

"So what you're saying is… Sephiroth, while not 'alive' in the typical sense… isn't 'dead' either, and never will be?"

"That's the gist of it, Reeve," Tseng said, taking a sip of tea.

Reeve sighed, and continued tinkering with a mass of metal and parts on his desk that seemed vaguely robotic. Tseng lowered his mug of tea, curious.

"May I ask what you're doing?"

"This will be Cait Sith #4."

"Then what is _that_?"

Tseng motioned toward a figure off to the side. It appeared statuesque, and was a perfectly crafted replica of Reeve – although Tseng knew better.

"That is what Cait Sith #4 will operate, when he needs additional… 'support'."

"A robot within a robot?"

"Seems weird to me too," Cait Sith #3 spoke up, as he scampered into the room. "What'cha doin' to number two?"

"The Shadow Flare didn't damage him, but it made his circuitry… behave strangely. I'm modifying him, and he shall become Cait Sith #4, so to speak," Reeve answered. "He will have all of the memories that he had as #2," he finished, closing a power compartment on the small robot and looking up at his guests.

"What of Luxiere?"

"I knew him, vaguely," Tseng started. "Cissnei and Reno are closer to him than I am. In fact, Reno is with him right now – they and the Second Class Kunsel are on the way to the Shinra Headquarters as we speak."

"Shall we meet them?"

"I don't see why not," Tseng replied, watching Reeve slip the naked animatronic into the Cait Sith "skin". Before he fully completed the robot, he took a single Materia, and placed it within the little cat's circuitry.

"What…"

"It's a Wall spell, I believe level three. For the mission I have him on, it will serve him quite well." Reeve finished by replacing the crown with a small, red jester's hat. "So they can be told apart," Reeve said, addressing the stares from Tseng and Cait Sith #3. Reeve then pressed a button on a panel behind him, and the small animatronic cat became responsive.

"Whew! What a nap! Uh… boss, I feel a lil'… 'funny'."

"That would be the Materia, and some of the organic components I've placed in you," Reeve said simply. "Now, I believe we have someone to meet at Shinra."

o-o-o-o-o

"Floor 49… feels like coming home."

"Home?"

"Well, yeah," Kunsel responded, "but Cloud, you hated Shin-Ra, so… I doubt you feel the same way."

"That," observed Vincent, "is certainly an understatement."

Vincent, Luxiere, Cloud, Reno, and Kunsel exited the elevator, and entered the dilapidated SOLDIER floor. In its prime, the floor had the Materia development room, an equipment outlet, held a few barracks, and provided plenty of amenities for the SOLDIER – however, Kunsel and Luxiere were only interested in storage.

"Boss is on 'is way, yo," Reno said lazily as he collapsed on a dusty sofa. "Says he has somethin' to talk to ya about, Lux."

"Sure," Lux said absentmindedly, lifting a piece of rubble to access a blocked door. He'd been largely silent on the way back to headquarters, Reno and Kunsel giving him all of the details they knew. Other than a curt greeting to Vincent and Cloud, he hadn't interacted with anyone at all.

And then, Cloud. Luxiere was not sure why he felt hostility toward the blonde swordsman, and he was certain that Reno and Cloud knew more than he did. The fight itself was no big deal – SOLDIERs sparred frequently enough that fights were of little consequence.

But it was the disembodied voice that had been in his head, goading him into assaulting Cloud, that had unnerved him the most.

"So what have you come here for?"

"Oh! Uh, we wanted to check out the SOLDIER floor and pick up some equipment," Kunsel said. "According to the text I received, we have our work cut out for us."

"That much, you certainly do," said Tseng, entering from the stairway door. He plucked a dark Materia from his pocket, and threw it at a surprised Luxiere. "Would you mind enlightening us as to where you got that?"

Luxiere sat on the rubble he'd just moved, pondering the small green orb. "I don't know," he said finally. "I remember waking up and equipping five Materia. This one must have already been in me, I guess," he said sheepishly.

"Is that possible?"

"Yeah," said Cloud, breaking his silence but not rising from his seat in the corner. "When I came to after recovering from Mako poisoning… Hojo had placed three Materia in me."

"Well then," Reeve said, taking a seat next to Reno. "Now… can you explain to us the incident at W.R.O. headquarters?"

Luxiere paused, suddenly mindful of the fact that the room's attention was all on him. "I don't know that either," he replied. "I saw… him," he said, gesturing toward Cloud. "And then I heard a voice that _really_ wanted him dead."

o-o-o-o-o

The young man collapsed, exhausted.

The rain had lessened. What had once been a torrential downpour was now a light drizzle – however the sky had remained dark and foreboding.

Fitting, considering his desperation.

Forcing himself to his feet, Yazoo stumbled into the decrepit shack. At one point, it had been a diner. Now, it was merely a dusty, neglected shrine of decomposing food, and scavengers – one of which saw him as a meal.

The three Ahrimans alighted, all three fluttering toward the intruder.

_Pitiful._

He drew Loz's Velvet Nightmare. Three shots later, the Ahrimans lay still on the tile floor, tendrils of Lifestream beginning to swirl around their corpses as they rejoined the Planet.

_Vermin._

The child tripped on some debris, collapsing on the floor with his vanquished foes. The explosion had sorely weakened him, and the fall _should_ have killed him. He had no idea how long he lay among the ruins of the Midgar wastes, but somehow his body had refused to die, willing itself against the sweet relief of the Lifestream.

But Mother had a job for him. One that Kadaj had failed.

He didn't know _what_ exactly to do with the greyed head in the small box – he'd been horrified when he discovered it, especially considering the top portion of its skull and brains were missing, as if cut away. But Kadaj had known – yet Mother wouldn't tell him.

Despondent, the boy sat against the wall, hopeless – and then, _it_ happened. The small, indescribable perception that her presence was nearby.

And then, he saw it – the debris he tripped over hadn't been debris, it was a leg. A leg attached to the body of someone who had clearly died of Geostigma, the blotchy black sores clear even in decomposition.

And that was all he needed, he thought, as he collapsed on the body and began the next step.

o-o-o-o-o

_He was alone. _

_ The training area was gone, a bleak landscape under an overcast sky having replaced it. He was manic, enraged, berserk – at the presence of the blonde man, clad in the black clothes, who wielded the familiar looking sword._

_ KILL HIM. Strike down the Imaginary SOLDIER. If you have an OUNCE of pride, YOU WILL KILL HIM NOW._

_ The vaguely feminine voice receded, and suddenly, Luxiere felt the power in his arm. It was immense, burning, electric, invigorating – and he released it, holding his hand to head before extending his arm and expelling the traitors from his vicinity. _

_ Now… NOW he would kill. _

Luxiere held his hand to his head as he finished recounting his version of events. However… it was difficult. Since waking up in the gurney, his memory was even more fragmented than before. He remembered his career in SOLDIER, even clearer than he had before. But as a consequence, it seemed, nearly the entirety of his time in Deepground was forgotten.

Except his betrayal. _That_ he remembered clearly.

Tseng looked impassive, glancing at Reeve, as Luxiere concluded his story. "Well then," Reeve began, this confirms two suspicions."

The Director of Public Safety stood up, opening a small device and placing it on a central table.

"Firstly, you were an experiment in what you confirmed is known as 'Deepground', a project that I only have slight knowledge of so far," he began. "Secondly… you have shown a common side effect of JENOVA cell usage, a brief period of the loss of self. You responded to the presence of JENOVA – although none of us would detect it – like an insect responds to a hive mind. Do you know of what I speak?"

Luxiere shook his head, prompting Vincent to speak up as he handed Reeve the memory card he'd acquired from the upper floor earlier. Reeve turned on the projector as Vincent spoke. "JENOVA, the Crisis of the Skies, Heaven's Dark Harbinger… the Calamity, JENOVA."

"Several floors up, the creature was kept in Hojo's science department. It was an alien life form that landed on Gaia in ancient times," Vincent continued. "At the time, Professor Gast Faremis thought the being an Ancient, and began to study its cellular makeup, using the creature as the basis for several experiments – one being the creation of your General, Sephiroth. I imagine Kunsel and Reno have given you a version of events that occurred shortly after your disappearance, as we can only assume you were sedated and the subject of Deepground experimentation while the rest of us were up here, dealing with Shin-Ra and Sephiroth.

Luxiere nodded, and Vincent spoke on. "I have sent yours and Kunsel's PHS a detailed copy of the file, however, in the interest of time, it was discovered that JENOVA was not an Ancient. Instead, she was a creature that landed on Gaia with the intent of destroying civilization. The Ancients somehow defeated JENOVA, but… they did not kill her. Her body was preserved, and thus so was she," he continued, as Reeve manipulated the projector, moving through slides.

"Our concern with you, is that Sephiroth has the ability to manifest himself back from whatever plane of existence he occupies. Lifestream under Sephiroth's influence, combined with JENOVA cells have displayed the ability to 'resurrect' him. However… we've recently come to the conclusion that as the case with JENOVA, Sephiroth cannot die due to the alien matter that is a part of his enhanced biology."

"Wait," Luxiere said. "I mean, can't we reason with him? Why did he go insane to begin with? And-"

"Are you _serious?_" Cloud stood up and looked at the SOLDIER as if he'd taken leave of his senses. "You _want_ him alive?"

"Cloud," Vincent began, "these people were his subordinates," he said, motioning toward Kunsel and Luxiere. "Due to Shin-Ra's… 'questionable' lack of the ability to tell their employees the truth, it isn't unlikely that they knew him as anything other than yet another enemy of Shin-Ra."

This seemed to sate Cloud, who sighed and leaned against the wall, remaining silent as Vincent finished. "Sephiroth became a threat because he mistakenly believed he was an Ancient, which was further mistaken by the fact he thought JENOVA – who wasn't his mother either – was an Ancient. He saw humanity as traitors, who abandoned the Cetra to their fate and allowed them to go extinct."

"So why can't we just tell him he's wrong?"

"He already knows," Cloud said grimly. "During our last fight, he claimed he…. Wanted to use the Planet as his vessel, and sail the cosmos looking for a new Planet to begin a new civilization. Whatever you believe about the man you used to look up to, I believe he's embraced the fact that he isn't an Ancient – and that he wishes to continue his mother's legacy."

Luxiere sighed. For it to have been only 30 minutes, this was quite a lot of information to absorb. "Great, so… my hero is batshit crazy, I can't remember anything relevant-"

"Your Fragmentation will pass in time," Tseng said. "If not, there is technology we can use to assist you in that regard – we just need to find it amongst the ruins."

"Fragmentation?"

"Memory loss due to Mako or Lifestream exposure," Reeve answered. "However, as the head of the World Regenesis Organization – and to spare you the long explanation, just know that we're attempting to correct Shin-Ra's wrongs – I would like to request your help in an urgent matter.

"That being?"

"I would like you to find out what exactly this… 'Deepground' is, Reeve said simply. "I am recruiting SOLDIERs and troops to aid our cause as we attempt to get to work, but… I am not foolish enough to believe that this D.G. you spoke of doesn't pose a threat."

"I see…"

Luxiere paused, remaining silent as Kunsel inquired further, before standing up and entering the room they'd uncovered.

"Yo, Lux! You uh… got something important in there? If you're gonna blow us off just say so!"

Sounds of rustling and movement emanated from the small room before Luxiere emerged. He had discarded his old uniform, in favor of a newer one. SOLDIERs under Lazard had worn blue uniforms for Thirds, Light Purple for Second, and Black for firsts. More recently, the Thirds wore a more vibrant blue, Seconds wore Red, and Firsts wore a deep Violet – which matched Luxiere's eyes perfectly, as he attached his pauldron and Mythril Bangle.

"I'm not blowing you off, as a matter of fact," he began, "I accept. I just needed to change. I figured at the least that I've done enough to deserve the promotion," he said, indicating the First uniform. Also, I had to get some new Materia," he finished.

Kunsel entered the room after Lux as he sat, merging a purple orb, and three green ones into his arm. "Dualcast, Fira, Regen, and Gravity", he said, addressing Reno's blank look.

"You're keeping the Shadow Flare?"

"Well, if Rayleigh cleared it, then yes. As of now it's the strongest one I have," Luxiere replied. He attached Crisis to the new magnetic harness and stood up, walking toward Reeve. "So, two things: one, I imagine that since SOLDIER's smaller size doesn't have any effect on the amount of work that we're still gonna be given, and two, when do I get to kill the guy that treated me like something in a test tube?"

o-o-o-o-o

As she escorted him outside in the rain, Frank realized he'd had plenty of drinks, and just decided he didn't care anymore.

He reached up, grabbing it, and squeezing firmly. "_GAIA_ these things feel amazing!"

He paid for that, as Tifa's fist met his cheek and he went flying down the si

dewalk, to a chorus of raucous laughter and catcalls from passerby. She ignored them, marching furiously back inside with a dirty handprint on her chest.

_What a prick._ She made a mental note to hit him again in the morning when he came to offer his inevitable apology, and took a seat at the bar, pouring _herself_ a much needed drink, noticing the man chuckling beside her.

"Laugh it up, Barrett," she said venomously.

"Hey, ain' my fault he was brave enough to do it! I's just a spectator," he said, downing a shotglass and laughing even more.

Tifa sighed, as she heard a knock at the door.

"We're closed, beat it," she said, flustered with her head in her cocktail.

The knock came again, more urgent as Barrett _continued_ laughing. What could possibly be so funny.

"Seventh Heaven is closed, GO AWAY!"

Tifa's shout had barely escaped her mouth when she downed the glass, the cocktail hitting her harder than she expected – had she put too much rum in it?"

The door began rattling, and opened as Tifa's patience finally waned. She stood up, spun around, and screamed at the intruder, slipping on a glove. "I SAID WE'RE-"

Tifa paused, looking directly at a red-faced Cloud, a confused Reeve, a blank-faced Tseng, and a cackling Reno.

"Shit, we should come here more often, yo!"

"Umm, Tifa? Your shirt is wet."

"So wha-?!"

It was that moment that Tifa realized she'd been wearing a white shirt when she escorted Frank out. In the pouring rain. After forgetting to put a bra on that morning when she was rushed awake.

Gingerly folding her arms around her unintentionally see-through clothing, her face turned a shade of red that would make Reno's hair look pink, and she left the room to change.

And Barrett laughed even harder. "Damn it, today been funny as HELL! Y'all c'mon an' have a drink," the laughing Corel-born gunman said. The four men, joined by Kunsel and Cait Sith #3 as they brought up the rear, took seats by the bar and helped themselves to various drinks.

"So uh… what's wrong with her?"

"Some drunk groped her," Barrett said, amusement plain on his face. "She'll be alright. Where the hell ya'll been?"

"In the Shin-Ra building's remains, basically getting told that we're still not safe."

"Not safe?"

Cloud sighed. "Sephiroth, for lack of better terminology, literally _cannot_ die, a SOLDIER we just convinced to help us against a secret project of Shin-Ra's is infected – but functional – with JENOVA, and…"

Cloud finished his statement with a sigh and a long gulp from his cup.

"And besides what Mr. Strife just mentioned, we're still dealing with the after-effects of Shin-Ra's reign over the Planet," Reeve concluded miserably. "It would seem our organization has significantly more work ahead of us than we thought."

Barrett looked over the blank faces of the new comers and did the only thing he could do – pour more drinks.


	6. Chapter 6 - Beginnings

Banora was eerily still.

Even after Shin-Ra's attempt to cover up the "accident", the village was still just as sleepy as ever. The man landed, and solemnly walked to the down the vacant path, silent except for the sound of the drizzling rain against the vegetation.

The brooding young man turned a corner, heading down a path he knew. A short walk later, he was at his destination, a small plot of land. It was unremarkable, except for a pair of gravestones marking the resting place of his parents.

Kneeling, Genesis Rhapsodos placed his hands between the two graves, lamenting their demise –which he himself had caused, years ago in a fit of emotional rage.

_Please forgive me…_

Suddenly, Genesis was aware of the fact he wasn't alone. Extending the massive black wing that originated from his left shoulder, he turned around to confront his intruder – and only saw the woman silently reclining against a tree.

"You shouldn't be here," the former SOLDIER said, his voice completely absent of the cocky flamboyance it once held.

"I needed to contact you," Argento said, propping herself up with an elaborate sword. "You aren't the easiest person to get in touch with."

"… I didn't desire company," Genesis lied somberly. In fact, the man would've done anything to have Angeal or Sephiroth back. Well… Sephiroth _before_ Genesis had inadvertently goaded him into genocidal insanity. "Be quick with your words," he said curtly.

"Your former pupil is free," Argento said, looking over the town below and admiring the view. "According to the tracking device in his uniform, he reached Midgar yesterday."

_Finally, some good news,_ Genesis thought. He'd been sorely deprived of that lately, since he'd heard of Weiss and Nero's depraved schemes. They were no better than the maddened Sephiroth.

"However, I should tell you that the tracker has been stationary for too long. I assume that he changed his uniform when he met up with the W.R.O., however I imagine that Director Tuesti will be sending him back to D.G. for assignment – the intel that they've 'stumbled' upon is too large for them to ignore.

"Fine-"

"Also… Scarlet pressured Weiss to move the date up. Apparently we underestimated the value she placed on Luxiere. They're starting the Junon collection this Friday."

At that, Genesis remained silent. Friday? Four days away? Nothing he could do about that…

"I need to return to monitor what they do next, Argento said finally, sheathing her weapon and turning to leave. And… do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What?"

"What… is _that?"_

Genesis looked toward his wing, the object of the Tsviet's gesture. "It's a product of SOLDIER enhancement, a mark of Project G – which created myself and Angeal Hewley – and Project S, which created Sephiroth. They aren't known to occur within SOLDIERs who lack enhancement from anything other than JENOVA cells… Angeal and I were injected with them at an early stage in our lives," the SOLDIER finished, to ease the confusion on Argento's face.

"I should take my leave now," the man in red said.

"As should I," said the Tsviet. "Please don't go M.I.A…. we may need you," she finished, putting the slightest emphasis on the "we". And with that, she turned and departed down the path, and was soon out of his sight. The man turned from her, to glance at his parents' graves one final time, before he spread his wing and took off, heading toward the subterranean cave.

o-o-o-o-o

"Alright," Barrett said with a noticeable hint of anxiety in his voice, "let 'er rip!"

The miner pulled the switch, and the engine flared to life, pistons pumping, parts circling as it became responsive.

"HELL yeah!"

"Do you like it? It's our finished product from the prototype," Sarah said. She, Barrett, and a handful of researchers were gathered in the room to admire the finished concept of the "Combustion Engine" – a new method of powering cars and small transports, without using Mako. As a matter of fact, the only element of the new automobiles that used Mako was a small filter of the stagnant, crystalized Mako that isolated pollutants – a waste product of the oil based fuel – and kept them from being emitted into the atmosphere. In every way possible, oil reserves combined with minimal amounts of Mako filtration seemed to be the future in power. And even that had a potentially better alternative, what with the radioactive minerals found in abundance below Corel.

If they had known that sooner, Barrett noted, Shin-Ra may have been nipped in the bud before it ever became a problem.

"This is amazin'! So how soon can we start handin' 'em out?"

"They're already complete and ready for mass production," Sarah said happily, as she handed a small disk to him. "You can take that back to Reeve and let him know the Alt-Energy research effort for the W.R.O. has progressed better than expected."

Barrett took the small chip and placed in a pocket, quickly offering elated good-byes to everyone near him before he left the small lab.

The W.R.O. was, at its heart, a transitional government after Shin-Ra's fall, but unlike Shin-Ra, only had two divisions: Research & Development, which was headed by Barrett. And despite his gruff exterior, his concern for the Planet was genuine – and had resulted in several breakthroughs thus far. Mako energy was soon to be obsolete, and some of that credit was well-earned by him.

The other half of the W.R.O., was the military, and although it was unfortunate, nobody contested its necessity. Using considerable resources (mostly funded by a reformed Rufus Shin-Ra, in penance for his company's past sins), they had retained several troopers, and a (comparatively) small handful of SOLDIERs. Due to their tenure, Kunsel, Luxiere, and Sophia were branded the three Firsts in charge, all of them quickly adopting the black uniform so synonymous with the "good old days" before SOLDIER became a den of chaos. Lee and a handful of other SOLDIER Seconds chose bright blue uniforms, and the (unexpectedly large) number of Thirds that were found in Shin-Ra Manor chose to adopt red. The (again, fortunately, Barrett thought) large amount of infantry and pilots that the W.R.O. was able to retain took on white uniforms and red berets, shedding the Shin-Ra uniforms of old, and their effect of de-humanizing them. It was far easier to relate to a face than a blank helmet with three red lights.

Especially since all three of the Firsts closely identified those lights with the death of Zack Fair.

"So what's he gon' have us doin' when we get back?"

"I'm not sure," Kunsel said, clad in a new black uniform and that same helmet he _always_ wore. Outside of the new color schemes, the SOLDIER outfits and weapons ha d remained virtually the same. Although, the W.R.O. did allow the lower classes slightly more freedom in their armaments – gunblades, staffs, and minor variety in bladed weapons were now manufactured by the W.R.O., resulting in a more adaptive SOLDIER.

"If this breakthrough you guys have is big enough-"

"It IS! We discovered a way to no longer suck the damn Planet dry! To hell with the ol' Shin-Ra! We foun' somethin' that'll make Mako useless!"

"… okay then. Well, like I said, " Kunsel began with an amused smile, "Director Tuesti will probably devote our resources to researching… whatever the hell it is that kidnapped Lux for three years."

"How the hell that boy been gone for three years an' don' 'member a damn thing?"

"Fragmentation – a condition that disrupts memories of Mako-enhanced humans. It'l l pass in time, but the Turks have a few machines set up in the old Shin-Ra building to unearth what they can, to see if it'll help."

"Damn Turks… you trust 'em?"

"Yes," Kunsel said plainly. "Because other than guarding Rufus Shin-Ra's investment in the future of the Planet, they have nothing to gain by attacking us. Also", he said, as their buggy rounded a particularly sharp turn, "since neither SOLDIER nor the troops answer to them, they'd have a hell of a fight on their hands if they try anything sneaky," Kunsel finished grimly. "The guys are getting tired of fighting simulations and I'd hate to be the first people that we wind up letting off steam against."

o-o-o-o-o

"Tifa! This place is empty!"

"Yes, Yuffie," the brawler-turned-bartender observed. "I'm aware."

"You should run around in a see through shirt and let some more drunk, gross guys feel you up! You'd get more business in no time!"

Tifa threw – or rather, _launched_ an apple at the Wutai ninja's head, only for Yuffie to impale the apple on her Razor Ring. She casually plucked it from the circular blade, enjoying the free snack while Reeve snorted, Cloud face-palmed, and Denzel shared the same look of confusion that Marlene wore.

"What's she talking about?"

"Nothing, Marlene," said an exasperated, pink-faced Tifa. Can you and Denzel go upstairs? I'll tell you when you can come back."

The two kids left, the last traces of a smile disappearing from Reeve's face as he read his report, and Yuffie reclining in the chair. The slim, petite 19-year-old had grown since the days the party met her before Meteorfall, but her sense of humor hadn't.

"So when are Barrett and… Cuncil getting back?"

"Kunsel," Cloud corrected. "And they should be back soon."

"Well tell 'em to hurry up! I wanna kick Sephiroth's butt!"

"Sephiroth…"

Cloud would've said that Sephiroth was dead, but then again, he wasn't. That, plus the fact that he was _not_ looking forward to that fight, inevitable though it may had been. His foot, arm, and chest still ached where Sephiroth had stabbed him, something that even the church's Lifestream-infused water couldn't heal.

"Sephy what? Are we gonna kick his butt or not!?"

"Sephiroth isn't our concern at the moment," Reeve assured her, after downing a glass of juice. "This… Deepground is. And I can only hope that Luxiere and Cait Sith #4 are making progress right now."

o-o-o-o-o

Luxiere slashed downward, and the first DG trooper fell.

_Too easy._

A round went past his head, and the SOLDIER whipped around, sprinting toward the remaining three gunmen, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to evade every shot. Closing the distance the leaped skyward… landing perfectly between the three of them…

_Okay, go!_

The yellow Materia in Crisis glowed with the effort, as Luxiere's Assault Twister felled the remaining three troopers in a single, wide, circular slash. The Mako-suit clad bodies hit the floor, and Luxiere sighed, flinging the blood off of Crisis before he placed it to the magnetic harness.

_Wow. Kunsel was right. Assault Twister actually ISN'T useless…_

"Wow kid! That was amazin'!"

"Thanks, runt," Luxiere said happily. He'd grown oddly fond of the little cat, after Reeve told him the cat would be 'assisting' Luxiere and providing surveillance once they were in Deepground. "So… we're here, what now?"

Cait Sith #4, formerly Cait Sith #2, hopped out of Luxiere's hood and surveyed the room. Luxiere, like the others, had turned in his old uniform for the W.R.O.'s new black SOLDIER First suit, but wore a sleeveless hoodie instead of a sleeveless turtleneck – his beanie hat didn't keep rain from getting in his eyes, but the hood did. It also provided a convenient place for Cait Sith to sit while Luxiere did… everything.

_Okay, maybe not everything_, Luxiere observed, as Cait Sith put a paw to an electronic panel, and the panel began flashing numbers and letters – obvious signs of being hacked.

"So this is where ya woke up?"

'Yeah," Luxiere responded, looking over the small room. It was more disheveled than he remembered – clearly, something of great value was sought here. Or someone.

"Eh… ya could've did better. But ya could've did worse so… eh," the small cat concluded. "And… there!"

An otherwise ordinary wall suddenly hissed, machinery whirring as it split in two, revealing a secret elevator.

"So we know how ya got here, ya ready ta go down?"

"Whenever you are, he said."

The cat and the SOLDIER stepped onto the elevator, and were soon traveling below surface.

"Okay here," Cait Sith began, "according to the files Reeve sent me, the location below us is-"

"Swarming with troops?"

"Nope."

"Filled with demented lab freaks?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Has depraved prisoners from Midgar who want my butt?"

"Uh, no. Instead it claims that this area was part of the Kalm complex that was erected at the D.G.'s beginnin'. Since the operations were moved to below Midgar, the place has been used for storage and other boring purposes."

"So… what's the problem?"

"My life-form detector is picking up three life forms."

"And?"

"Well uh… I was picking up seven before we descended. And there's been no monorail activity since we got here."

Luxiere drew Crisis and Cait Sith hopped into Luxiere's hood, securely comfortable behind Lux's neck. "So be careful, the cat said. The closer we get, the worse this seems."

A few seconds more, and the elevator finally stopped. Luxiere stepped out of the small space to again see the familiar bright blue lights illuminating the room in hues of blue, in an otherwise endless darkness.

Except for the red. Blood, gore and viscera covered the floor just in front of him. Whatever had died here, was clearly trying for the elevator.

Luxiere went stalked forward, Crisis at the ready, the two Materia in his sword casting a faint gold radiance over his immediate vicinity.

"Talk to me, Cait…"

"I would say turn on the power… but _that_ is in the way of the power switch."

In front of Luxiere stood something that appeared human – but then it turned.

Luxiere caught sight of a face he _swore_ looked familiar, under a helmet, a uniform that reminded him of a tattered SOLDIER suit, and similar armor. But he creature had blood and human flesh dripping from its lips, and two monstrous, multi-colored, bat-like wings erupted from the creature's should blades, giving it the appearance of some armored demon.

"What the…?"

"It's called a 'G Dominator', a Genesis copy that was subject to further enhancement – either that, or it consumed JENOVA or G cells. Either way, kill the damn thing!"

Snapped out of his fascination by Cait Sith's urging, Luxiere sprinted forward, ready to hit the stumbling creature with Exploder Blade – only for it to flap it's great, evil-looking wings and carry itself out of range.

_Not that easy,_ Luxiere thought, flexing his arm and casting Fira thrice. Due to the Dualcast Materia, six fireballs filled the vacant room, four of which found their mark, but to little effect. The abomination landed, snarling, and surged forward, curved swords in each hand. It closed the distance quickly, lunging forward to slash at Luxiere's neck. He countered, Crisis absorbing the impact and sending a resounding _clang_ throughout the empty room. The creature swung its other sword, Luxiere parrying the blow as one of the yellow orbs in his sword grew bright, and he stepped _toward _the corrupted experiement.

_Now_!

Luxiere performed the Assault Twister, but the creature, anticipating an attack had leapt back – but not before Crisis' reach had managed to sever one of the great, demonic wings.

_Let's see you fly now, bastard._

Luxiere extended his arm and cast Gravity, the dark sphere of energy descending onto the creature, bursting into pink electricity as it struck home – and the creature barely seemed to notice.

_What the…?_

The G Dominator raced forward, a bewildered Luxiere barely able to leap out of the way as the creature slashed at him with both blades, one of them opening up a red line on Luxiere's cheek, the other giving him a superficial cut on his opposite bicep.

"Argh!"

Frustrated, Luxiere mentally cycled to Fira, swinging his arm madly as the G Dominator was forced to step back under a withering barrage of flames. Incensed, Luxiere raced forward, the other yellow Materia in his sword glowing as he closed the distance, swinging Crisis toward the creature as it raised its left arm in defense. A small slam echoed through the room, the creature's arm bursting at the shoulder, its sword unable to fully block the attack, the limb falling useless to the ground. The creature shrieked in pain, and Luxiere took his chance, racing forward and swinging at the creature's neck – beheading it as the momentum of his swing carried him past the creature, and into its grisly meal.

"Ugh," Luxiere groaned, as his gaze fell upon the cannibalized DG troopers and the few other non-human experiments the creature was able to catch. He turned around to watch as the corpse began to decompose, tendrils of green and dark Lifestream materializing around the body.

"Since when is Lifestream black?"

"When it's corrupted," Cait Sith observed. "And you may wish to turn on the lights now."

"Oh…"

Luxiere's hand extended and hit a light panel, and not a moment too soon – the moment the lights were lit, several creatures – some of which had been mere feet from him – that had been sneaking up on him, screeched and went into convulsions at the presence of light.

"Residents?"

"Naw, just the crap they keep here. Put 'em outta their misery, would ya?"

Luxiere counted a few worms and several emaciated Guard Hounds.

"Sure thing, scaredy cat," Lux teased as he gripped Crisis and struck the closest creature.

o-o-o-o-o

In the maze of ruined architecture that was the Midgar wastes, Deepground was busy – yet discreetly so. In preparations for their mobilization, scouts had been sent above ground to inspect the immediate area – and other than monsters looking for carrion, not much was found – until a wayward scout stumbled upon a decaying diner.

"What… _is_ it?"

"This," Dr. Sloas gloated, "_This_, is the future of all of our work, and the beginning of a new era for Deepground," he concluded with glee. It was a mark of his passion for the discovery that confused the troopers most – to them, it was nothing but a mass of flesh, not unlike a large organ, or a cocoon. However, after the doctor removed a piece of the membrane and placed it on some kind of device, the readings made him ecstatic. But perhaps they weren't meant to know – Sloas _was_ the researcher, after all.

"Notify Platoon B to bring up a transport," Sloas barked. "This meat sack is now your highest priority until it is safe in my labs, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

The young woman and the two men flanking her ran off to execute the order, and Sloas turned toward the fleshy mound, confident that he was the only one who could see it for what it truly was: leverage. And if he was careful, not a single soul on the entirety of Gaia would be able to contend with him.

Him, _or_ the being that slept before him.


	7. Chapter 7 - Preparations

"So I see you still don't… _entirely_ trust me yet."

"No, I do not," Reeve responded coolly. "However, you have plenty of time to earn that trust, provided the W.R.O. continues to maintain a positive impact on the Planet."

Rufus chuckled as he read over the e-mail on his P.H.S. "I'll be sure to keep making sure my funds assist in proving that," he said with an air of amusement. "So between the military – which you claim is evolving faster than expected, with the recruitment of the SOLDIERs held up in Shin-Ra manor – and the research division's new find regarding alternate energy sources, why are you pessimistic? You rarely contact me unless you need more funds, which you apparently don't, or if there's some potential catstrophe."

"It's the latter," Reeve said. "Your father, the considerate gentleman he was, appears to have authorized an emergency measure, should he ever be usurped from power."

Rufus sipped his coffee and looked nonchalant. "I had always suspected as such, however I believe he didn't have any contingency to prevent Sephiroth from impaling him into his own desk."

"Yes, be that as it may… what do you know of Deepground."

"Nothing, other than what Tseng and Reno have reported to me," Rufus said casually. "No, _really_," he said, seeing the quizzical look on Reeve's face. "As I only have four remaining operatives working full time –"

"You had at least twelve, when you were here."

"Yes, I'm aware," Rufus said. "While most of them have said they'd be willing to lend aid to myself and our cause if needed, I have preferred that they remain separate, merely making sure that this peacefulness after Shin-Ra's downfall remains… Reeve?"

Reeve had paused in the video call to address his ringing PHS. Rufus could clearly see something was wrong – Director Tuesti's face went from calm to distressed in mere seconds."

"Send First Class Harringer and two squads to intercept! I don't want them leaving the wastes, understand?"

Rufus watched bemusedly as Reeve completed the call. "So tell me Reeve: what's it like being the boss?"

o-o-o-o-o

The D.G. infantryman slowed, and held out an arm behind him, emptying his submachine gun in the general direction of the chaos behind him. As their convoy flew around a curve, he turned his head to scan the results behind him, but was only able to see the Hardedge swing toward him.

"Agh!"

The blade slammed into the trooper's head, knocking him _off_ the motorcycle, over the rails, and into the distance below.

_Whoops_, Kunsel thought sarcastically, accelerating toward the strange vans and the three remaining motorbikes that flanked them. The parkway behind them was littered with broken automobiles and bodies – from both sides – but for their maiden voyage, so far, so good.

"Sergeant Ty! Open fire!"

As the curve turned into the first straightaway section of road that they'd seen since the pursuit, the W.R.O. trooper - a hard-faced man out of Corel – opened fire with the mounted machine gun tagging two of the remaining three motorbikes, and disabling the van that was bringing up the rear. His jeep flew by it, as the remaining W.R.O. force split in two – half de-accelerating to secure the vehicle, the ones closest to the targets continuing their chases.

"Damn it – Captain Harringer! I'm jammed!"

"Son of a – stay back, we can do this," he shouted back, pushing the bike to its top speed as he and two other bike troopers approached their quarry.

And then he saw it: a helicopter bearing a symbol that resembled the SOLDIER logo, floated above the freeway just ahead of them, dropping a large, robotic machine onto the road. It was a large machine, supported by four mechanical legs, its "body" rising straight up above the lower section, two horizontal "arms" wielding a laser and a machine gun each.

_Are you FUCKING kidding me._

"Fix that jam, Ty! The rest of you, defense positions!" Kunsel sorely wanted to nab the other van, but we wouldn't be fast enough to defeat its remaining bike guard, disable it, AND take care of the metallic monstrosity in front of him. He slowed his bike, easing the vehicle into a stop as the van and the remaining rider sped past the Black Widow, as the machine advanced toward the small team, opening up with a volley of machine gun fire.

_Great._

Kunsel activated his Dash Materia, and sprinted forward, hoping to gain the robot's full attention. The gun went silent as it corrected its aim, turning its "eye" on Kunsel, and following his movement as he rapidly closed the distance…

_Now!_

Kunsel planted his feet to leap forward – and instead had to leap out of the way to his right, as the Black Widow fired a _massive_ energy beam at him, destroying the ground where he'd previously stood in a large, dusty explosion. He ran forward from his landing spot, drawing even closer to the machine as its beam followed him, before it finally shorted out.

_Gotta recharge, huh?_

Kunsel hopped on to the machine's leg, then jumped, slashing upward. The Hardedge severed the machine that held the laser emitter, the now-useless weapon falling to the road. The Black Widow spun around, firing its machine gun at point blank range.

"Shit!"

Kunsel dashed away, as a bullet grazed his shoulder. He ran in a circle, his injured arm holding the Hardedge, his free hand casting bolts of Thundara. He'd ran around the thing twice, exhausting his MP reserves, when the mic in his ear came alive.

"Captain! Duck!"

Kunsel rolled away from the Black Widow as Ty opened fire, his machine gun emptying round after round into the unfortunate machine. Staggering back, it raised its gun even as rounds shredded its armor, acquiring Ty as a target above his Jeep…

_No!_

Kunsel mentally cycled to his next Materia, concentrating as he used the last of his MP to activate the Electrocute Materia, bolts of lightning surrounding him as they crashed into the machine. With a mechanical whine, the automation collapsed, its metal carapace opening to vent steam into the air, a glowing component visible inside.

_Time to die._

Kunsel leaped atop the fallen machine, holding his blade downward and plunging it into the core. With a jarring sound, and a strange reverberation through his sword, the blade pierced the core, shattering it as sparks began flying from the machine. Kunsel attempted to yank his sword from the machine – but no luck. The Hardedge was firmly stuck.

_Damn it!_

With no other choice, Kunsel leapt away from the metal construct, just as it was engulfed in a small explosion of fire and electricity, collapsing into the street. He flattened himself on the road as parts and shrapnel went flying. When he picked his head up, the machine lay still.

And his sword embedded in the side wall.

_Yes!_

Kunsel ran forward to pick up his blade, yanking the Hardedge out of the concrete – and with a loud crack, the blade snapped in two. Only _he_ could manage to break a Hardedge, he mentally joked, as he heard the sounds of boots running toward him.

"Captain," a young female Specialist named Jameson said, "they're requesting us at the van! They want you to be present when we check the contents, sir!"

"Sure thing, Sarge," the SOLDIER First said, removing his Thundara Blade Materia and Vital Slash Materia from his broken blade. As he pocketed them and prepared to jump across the massive hole in the street that split the road (which made him even more grateful that he avoided the laser beam), a small, glowing object caught his attention. Walking toward the wreckage, he found the casing of the core he'd destroyed. Among the friend components, a green Materia shone through the destruction.

_Energy_, he noted, picking it up and merging it into his forearm. The orb soon was absorbed seamlessly into his flesh, and he turned back toward the sergeant.

"Let's go, Jameson."

o-o-o-o-o

"I am concerned with neither Sloas' schemes, nor your aspirations. I am merely focused on the task at hand."

"Be that as it may," Scarlet said haughtily, "I _am_ concerned with everything that occurs down here, as I've invested too much into all of this for it to fail, due especially to some unseen detail."

Weiss sighed, twirling one of his gunblades absentmindedly. "Well then, what is it you are here to tell me?"

"For whatever… project you have at hand, which I suppose is so damn important I can't be informed about it, Sloas has told me to deliver this," she said, handing the Tsviet a small tablet. Weiss took it, unlocking the screen with a code and scrolling downward. Most of the outline indicated a streak of inconclusive experiments, until a final success caught his eye.

EXPERIEMENT NO. 21: SUCCESS. UNTAINTED LIFESTREAM IMBUED WITH SIMULATED OMEGA STIMULUS SUCCESSFUL. CANDIDATES RECOMMENED FOR NEXT PHASE ONLY IF UNAFFECTED BY GEOSTIGMA, MAKO POISONING, OR LIFESTREAM EXPOSRE…

_Untainted?_ The leader of the Tsviets paused. The sickness of Geostigma, which he suspected was linked to JENOVA, had infected much of the world. Although Deepground had a detatchment in Wutai ready to act… obtaining large amounts of pure Lifestream would require live specimens. Transporting them from Wutai wouldn't be prudent, and massacring his own troopers was counterproductive… he turned around, spying Nero leaning placidly against the back wall.

"Brother," Weiss said shortly, "take the 'containment' company and head for Junon. I'll provide further instructions once you're there. Understood?"

"Yes," the other Tsviet responded. "Consider it done."

Nero the Sable suddenly vanished in a swirling sphere of dark energy, off to do his brother's bidding, as Scarlet began to look irate.

"Well are you going to tell me what's going on?"

o-o-o-o-o

Crisis cut through the worm's flesh easily, and finally, the last vermin in the dimly lit room was dispatched. Even for Deepground , this lab was dark.

But then again, it was abandoned.

What had once possibly been a sprawling complex was now an empty storage space, only a few cages and liquid-filled containers housing the remaining signs of life – the G Dominator had clearly killed everything else, two guard hounds and five Lesser Worms somehow remaining hidden in the dark.

"Hey Lux, getta load 'o this!"

Luxiere turned to his smaller companion, the little animatronic feline standing next the decaying corpse of the G Dominator. It held a green orb aloft, presenting it to the SOLDIER as he walked forward to examine it.

_Biora… not bad,_ he said, merging the orb into his arm. "You found another one?"

"Yeah, but… this one looks kinda dull," Cait Sith said, handing the other Materia over.

"Poison? Yeah, not much use for this, unless I can sell it somewhere," the SOLDIER said. "The monorail still working?"

"Nope, not unless you have a Thundaga handy to charge _that_," Cait Sith said, indicating a violently slashed conduit above them on the wall. It had been severed entirely, making the thick metal doors that led to the exit impassible.

"Well," Luxiere said with a sigh, "I suppose there's nothing else down here, right?"

"Nope. A small armory, an old Materia room, and a laboratory, but… something in the lab is alive, according to my sensors," the small cat said. "You feel like a fight?"

"Nope," Luxiere observed, his ears picking up the movement of a heavy animal behind a closed door to the far wall. "But how about the other rooms?

"Behind those," Cait Sith said, indicating a set of glass doors. "But they're lock-"

There was a small sound of shattered glass as Luxiere thrust Crisis into a door, breaking it.

"Nevermind," the cat said, scampering after his comrade.

The room was empty, most of the Mako uniforms and armaments gone, the lockers open and emptied long ago. The Materia room next door was disheveled as well, most of its contents long gone, except for some discarded Materia.

"Silence… Jump… Gobin Punch…"

"Not much, eh?"

"Nope," Luxiere said, dropping the glowing orbs onto a bench. But if _that_ works, I can make something I need," he said, motioning toward a strange console. It had an outer control panel, with circular tubes inserted in a transparent dome. He walked up to it and gingerly pressed the switch. At once, a Shin-Ra logo appeared on the screen, and the machine came to life.

_Yes!_

"What'cha doin'?"

"Materia fusion," Luxiere replied, speeding up his efforts when he saw a low-power warning on the screen.

"I thought the stuff you had was fine already?"

"Dualcast, Gravity, Assault Twister, Exploder Blade, Shadow Flare, my Elemental Ward, and the Phoenix are fine," he said. "But my Fira could be… 'better'."

The robotic cat hopped on the counter, observing as Luxiere dropped the Poison Materia in one tube, the Fira in another. He hurriedly pressed a sequence of buttons, and the dome lit up. Cait Sith observed as Lux made the machine spin the two orbs as if in a Centrifuge, sparks of energy igniting within the dome, before the two Materia were slammed together in a small impact, the machine continuing to spin and glow with energy for about a minute more, before it went dark, and a glowing orb fell out of an ejection chute into Luxiere's finger-less gloved hand.

"Dark Fira," Luxiere explained to the cat. It can inflict Poison and Silence in addition to the fire damage, so it's more helpful than regular fire." He turned to leave, but realizing the cat looked unresponsive, turned back. "You okay?"

"CAPTAIN LUXIERE."

Luxiere was taken back, having forgotten that there was a microphone inside the cat. "Uh, yeah?"  
"Return to the headquarters at once, please." I need you to assist Captain Harringer."

The SOLDIER sighed as the mic died and Cait Sith sprung up. "So we're done here?"

"Yup," Luxiere replied as he inserted the new Materia into his arm, "we're done here."

o-o-o-o-o

Kunsel sat in the chair, attempting to take his mind off earlier events. "So how's the excavation in Shin-Ra going?"

"Most of the SOLDIER floor and the Shin-Ra shop have been unearthed," Reeve said. "You're free to scavenge it after you finish a small task," he concluded. "How did the detonation go?"

"It was painless," Kunsel said bemusedly, recalling the look of terror on Sergeant Ty's face when he opened the van, only to find it was a decoy, having contained nothing but a robotic driver and a large explosive device in the back. "I mean, we're gonna give Ty shit about it for a good while, but other than that… no worries," he finished simply. "Although… I do need a new sword."

"And why is that?"

"Well," Kunsel replied coolly, "the big machine I stabbed with it didn't exactly break easily."

Reeve smiled as Kunsel heard the door behind him slide open, a shrill voice disrupting his relaxed state. "Who's butt do we get to kick?"

"Nobody's, hopefully," Reeve responded with the air of an exhausted parent. "Yuffie, this is SOLDIER First class Kunsel, and he'll be accompanying you to Junon."

"Uh, sure, but why? I'm the White Rose of Wutai, and I don't –"

"Junon, where I believe I will need a significant amount of subtlety to scout what I believe is the location of a next operation by our unseen adversaries," Reeve finished. "So I believe it would be an appropriate mission to assign the two of you, as Luxiere has other duties that I sent him to attend to after we detonated the bomb, and Sophia is currently overseeing operations in Mideel. Understand?"

He wasn't angry, but there was a certain finality in his tone that meant he didn't want to hear any counter-arguments. "Fine," she sighed. "When do we go?"

"Well," said Reeve, "how about… _now?"_

_ "_Yes sir," Kunsel responded quickly, leaving his seat and heading for the exit.

Yuffie followed suit, toying with her Razor Ring in irritation. "Seeing as how you're SOLDIER scum, you better not screw up!"

Kunsel didn't miss a beat. "And seeing as how you're the scrawny little Wutai Flea who's good for nothing but stealing Materia from people bigger and stronger than you, you better be good in a fight," he teased with a smile. "Zack _did_ say something about some little twerp that used to get on his nerves…"

And at that, Reeve could only snort with laughter into his palm, as Yuffie gave Kunsel a verbal barrage of (friendly?) insults the whole way down the hall.

o-o-o-o-o

There were several clones, biological experiments, half-developed masses of flesh and organs, and several preserved monstrosities floating in the Mako tanks of the Deepground labs, but the newest resident had the most attention by far.

The dark room was illuminated only by several lit control panels, and the luminous Mako that the tanks contained. Dr. Sloas stood in front of his most recently acquired specimen, the outer membrane having begun to decay due to Mako exposure, great pieces of the husk slowly floating to the bottom of the tank. A human foot was visible, the rest of the body still obscured by the decomposing membrane.

"The subject seems to be fine with the Mako environment," an assistant noted, as Dr. Sloas continued to stare at the tank in a mesmerized state. "When do you wish to proceed with the additional biological augmentation?"

"It's too early to consider that," Sloas replied. "Allow this… outer covering to fully decompose, and then we can begin the enhancements. I want this kept secret – neither Scarlet, the Tsviets, nor any of D.G. need to know about this," he said, turning to the room at large. "Does anyone not understand that?"  
"But sir," a young female trooper blurted out, "Scarlet just requested I – "

With a swift motion, Sloas drew a pistol, and fired. The round went into her neck, and she collapsed, choking and gurgling on her own blood.

"Now let me repeat myself," Sloas said, standing over the convulsing body. "Does _everyone_ understand me?"


	8. Chapter 8 - Skirmish

Goblin's bar had always been Luxiere and Kunsel's favorite place to catch a drink, but now that they offered take-out fast food, Luxiere was smitten.

Or at least, he looked it, Tseng observed, as he watched his old acquaintance absolutely destroy three of 'The Gob's' largest bacon double cheeseburgers – with two more and a load of cheesy bacon fries to go.

Vincent gave the slightest shake of his head and resumed staring out the window into the shattered skyline of Midgar, drenched with the latest torrent of rain. Cloud sat at the table's other end, disinterested as usual. Tseng looked more of the same, but was doing an exemplary job of not betraying his worries.

_Weiss, Nero, Shelke, Rosso, Azul, Argento… ah,_ he said, looking at the last few files, _didn't expect to see you here, my friend._

Silently reading the rest of the passages of the folder in his hand, he looked to the previous three manila folders he'd scanned, his facial expression not in any way indicating the concern he had regarding their disturbing contents.

_Well, in the words of our esteemed colleague Mr. Highwind…_

"Sorry I'm late!"

Reeve entered the room, and his head briefly turned to witness the impressive destruction of greasy food on Luxiere's plate, before he moved to his seat. Cait Sith #4 remained asleep in Luxiere's hood, while #3 hopped upon the table, a briefcase in its gloved hands.

"I was just downstairs, talking to an aide. She says that the Gaia Network will be up and running, and something additional to celebrate in the Kalm Revival Festival tomorrow," he said with an optimistic smile. "So before we move to Tseng, does anyone have any recent developments to share?"

Cloud looked impassive, Vincent turned his body to face the small group of people, and Luxiere downed another heart-attack-on-a-bun before finally speaking.

"The uh-"

"With your mouth empty please, Lux," Tseng offered helpfully.

Luxiere swallowed, both the food and emotion disappearing from his face. He was more like Cloud than he thought, even if he didn't know it – the blonde swordsman and the SOLDIER hadn't spoken to each other at all since the incident in the training room.

"The facility below the medical room I woke up in is abandoned-"

"Except for whateva's in the bio room," Cait Sith #4 added, apparently having woken up.

"Yeah," Luxiere continued. "I found a lot of broken equipment, a squad of dead D.G., and… a G Dominator – a Genesis clone with additional enhancement," he added, seeing the confusion on Reeve's face. "Other than that, the room is empty. There's a monorail for transport to what I suspect are other sectors of the facility, but as far as the room I was in - it's pretty much dead."

"But Genesis-"

"Was last recorded 'missing', not dead," Tseng stated simply. "Despite Shin-Ra's questionable policy on declaring the status of their operatives, considering First Class Fair's final notes, we have no reason to believe that Genesis Rhapsodos is actually dead, nor do we consider him a hostile," he finished.

"But not an ally," Vincent prodded. "Otherwise, we'd have tried to recruit him already."

There was a slight pause before Reeve spoke. "Can it be done?"

"Recruiting Genesis? I suppose with Shin-Ra's fall, he has no reason to be combative, however even before his desertion, he was never particularly social. If we're going to attempt that, it should be done by someone who is close to him," Tseng said with a sigh. "Of the personnel who returned to the W.R.O. who were previously in Shin-Ra's incarnation of SOLDIER, only four individuals were close enough to him that I believe could take such a mission – SOLDIER Third Neil Stuart is currently on a mission in Mideel, and I believe he is better off there-"

"Never much good at stayin' outta trouble, that kid," Luxiere mused as he _finally_ finished the gargantuan meal before him.

"SOLDIER Second Lee Dokujima is returning from Wutai, and has no obligations to fill when she returns. The remaining two would be yourself and miss Lawrence," Tseng said, motioning toward Luxiere. "However, Sophia is on duty in Cosmo Canyon, so I believe we shall go with Dokujima."

"Why not the other one, Kunsel?"

"He served under Angeal," Luxiere replied to Vincent simply, "Shin-Ra changed its unit formation around a lot, but they were in Angeal's platoon, not Genesis'."

"So if you were under Genesis, how do you know each other so well?"

"I was a Third during the Wutai war, he and Zack were Seconds," Luxiere explained. "I didn't make Second until after Genesis attacked the Shin-Ra building. By that time, Sephiroth was the only First remaining, other than Zack, who didn't abandon the company." The SOLDIER paused to clean up the greasy paper in front of him before he continued. "And actually, I was only in Genesis' platoon until he left – after I was promoted to Second, I was under Sephiroth ever since," he finished, discarding his trash with an impressive toss into a faraway trash bin.

"Well then. If the opportunity presented itself, you believe you would be able to convince him to aid us?"

Luxiere paused, fidgeting with his Moon Bracer. Even considering the unusually good rapport he'd had with Genesis... he hadn't seen the man in years, and according to Shin-Ra, he was no better than Sephiroth.

But then again, he told himself, Shin-Ra wasn't better than any of them.

o-o-o-o-o

Kunsel swung the blade in a wide arc, testing the way it felt, allowing himself to adapt to the weight of the new weapon, the Rune Blade seeming like a suitable replacement for his Hardedge. After sparring with an imaginary opponent, he felt satisfied.

"I'll take it."

"Anything else?"

With the advent of online shopping, SOLDIERs and Turks rarely needed to go to actual shops to procure equipment, as there were a double-digit number of digital outlets – both legal and illegal – that catered to consumers who had the necessary card passes. But seeing as how he needed to go to a shop for a new sword anyway, Kunsel figured he could use some new gear – Essai, Sebastian, Luxiere, and plenty of other Seconds always added additional equipment, although Zack and Kunsel weren't particularly keen on wearing too much else.

Picturing Cloud's oddly asymmetrical look (the only thing he seemed to wear though, was a Ribbon), and Luxiere's fondess for his Moon Bracer and a the horde of other trinkets he'd worn, he scanned the small counter and took his choice.

"I'll take the Shining Bracer… and are those Kaiser Knuckles?"

"Indeed they are."

"Sold!"

The elderly gentleman smiled as Kunsel secured the Shining Bracer to his right forearm, replacing his standard issue gloves with the Kaiser Knuckles before inserting his old Materia into the new sword.

"How much?"

"Forty-five hundred Gil."

_So much for my budget,_ the SOLDIER thought, handing the money over as the man smiled and took it.

"You get a lot of business out here?"

"Not much," the man replied. "However, if you want that Gold Hairpin," he said in a louder tone, indicating the girl behind him, "you can pay me for it, miss," he finished, as Yuffie continued examining the small bright object.

"Yuffie…"

"What? It's pretty! I want it!"

The elderly man sighed. "Miss…"

"It's fine," Kunsel said, defusing the situation before it began. "I've got it," he added, handing additional money over as Yuffie put on her new Accessory.

"So… you two Shin-Ra?"

"Nah, we're with the W.R.O.," the SOLDIER replied. "We're… atoning for Shin-Ra's mistakes," he finished.

"I see," the man replied. He handed Kunsel back both his change, and small paper package. He walked them to the door, the sunset illuminating the clouds a brilliant shade of orange. It wasn't raining in Junon as it was in Midgar, fortunately.

"Well… I've heard people with good intentions before," the man said. "And I've seen most of them change their attitudes and their outlook on life, merely to serve that horrible company. If you actually mean it, I sincerely hope you keep your honor, young man. Now, my old bones are tired, so I must wish both of you a good evening," he said kindly, before closing the door.

"You too," Kunsel said, before turning to his partner, who was toying with her new jewelry. "I swear, you owe me…"

"Yeah, yeah," Yuffie said, toying with her Razor Ring. "What he give ya?"

Kunsel unwrapped the package, the grimy paper wrapping falling away to reveal a brilliant red Materia, the orb glowing in the fading light.

"Gaia… it's Ramuh," he said breathlessly. He stared at the summon, thunderstruck, before noting the sudden hunger in Yuffie's eye. Mindful of Zack's description of the sticky-fingered ninja, he placed the Materia to his forearm, the little red sphere seamlessly blending into his skin.

"I ever tell ya how gross that looks?"

"Yeah, well... seeing as how Bangles aren't immune to you, I'm gonna go ahead and say I don't give a shit, _Princess,_ the SOLDIER said before checking his equipment. "Let's go, thief," he teased, shouldering his Rune Blade. "We've got work to do."

o-o-o-o-o

File after folder after text after document had told Weiss the Immaculate nothing.

The virus coursing through his body was meant to be a deterrent to any insurrection amongst the Tsviets, and although the threat had failed, the virus had not – within moments of killing the wounded Restrictor, the Tsviet had felt… _wrong_. Even in victory, he knew something within him was suddenly not the way it was supposed to be.

The most he'd gathered from the notes of the Deepground project, was that the pathogen was called "Emperor's Descent", and that it had been genetically engineered to adapt solely to him – the virus wasn't contagious in any way, and worked slowly until the fatal side effects took place.

Frustrated, the leader of the Tsviets picked up a tablet and discarded the book, attempting to find a solution – any solution – to his impending date with mortality.

"Find, Emperor's Descent."

The monitor flashed and lit up as it took the verbal cue producing a few search results – before when Weiss had said 'virus', 'restrictor', and his own name, there'd been none.

Intrigued, Weiss selected the top search result, and read further.

EMPEROR'S DESCENT.

PATHOGEN STATUS: COMPLETE. APPLIED TO SUBJECT IMMACULATE, FOR CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL. PATHOGEN INEFFECTIVE IN SUBJECTS TRANSPARENT, AND VIOLET.

That got Weiss attention. Subject 'Immaculate' was obviously himself, Transparent couldn't be anyone other than Shelke, and Violet… that was the kid who'd wounded the Restrictor. If the techs were any good at his job, there should still be biological samples from the kid lying around… somewhere. Shelke wasn't applicable – the Mako treatments that kept her in the body of a nine-year-old also meant that transfusions from her were fatal – as both several Deepground troops and two failed Tsviet hopefuls found out.

A faint presence of optimism in his mind, the Tsviet left the study and headed for the lower labs.

o-o-o-o-o

"Weiss the Immaculate, Nero the Sable, Shelke the Transparent, Rosso the Crimson, Azul the Cerulean, Argento the Lustrous, and last but not least, our esteemed colleague, Luxiere the Violet," Tseng said, tossing out each photo and file with every name he spoke."

"Other than their names and faces, what do we know?"

"Firstly, I doubt any of them are what we'd call sane," the Turk said. "So attempting to apprehend any of them is a danger in itself. In addition to the fact that all of them are merciless… Azul is a berserker, Rosso is a sadist, Weiss is a master fighter and just as dangerous, and Nero…"

Tseng paused. None of the Tsviets save for Luxiere, and possibly Argento & Shelke, whom they knew little about, were exactly 'normal', but Nero… something was very, _very_ wrong about Nero, who possessed the thickest folder of the seven Tsviets.

"Nero is not to be confronted unless it is a last resort," Tseng said simply, not wishing to repeat the contents of the Sable's file. "That being said… I can safely say that any of them are at least, if not more dangerous, than a competent SOLDIER First Class," he finished. "That is the quick version of what we know about them, unless you'd all prefer I'd expand upon the content here," Tseng said, gesturing toward the pile of folders in front of them.

Luxiere looked aloof, his shattered memory offering little to the conversation. Cloud reclined, adjusting his Chocobracelet and saying nothing. Vincent remained impassive and Reeve… got a call.

Taking the PHS from his pocket, the W.R.O. director answered the call curiously, as sounds of gunfire and explosions suddenly emanated from the device.

"I'm sorry, Captain Harringer, but _what_ did you just say?"

o-o-o-o-o

Kunsel poked his head above the front of the ruined car and cast Thundara, the electricity blasting the two troopers that unwisely decided to close the distance.

"I said, the harbor is abandoned! No civilians are in sight, just these… these Mako-suit nut jobs!"

Reeve replied something unintelligible, the sounds of combat drowning out his voice. Kunsel swore, hopping over the car as he mentally cycled to his new Materia.

_Energy…_

Kunsel's outstretched palm shot two orbs of pale energy toward his assailants, the projectiles going _through_ their improvised cover, striking both covered targets. Two riflemen fell, but they weren't Kunsel's priority – the Heavy Trooper with the rocket launcher was.

"Yuffie, I'm going for-"

"Nope!"

Yuffie hopped over the car, sprinting toward the remaining guards. Several rounds were sent her way, but the agile little ninja dodged everything, even as the Heavy corrected his aim – and fired.

_Now!_

Yuffie leapt in the air, the rocket passing harmlessly, and landed on the rocketeer's shoulders, plunging her Razor Ring into the man's face. Amid a shower of blood, the man collapsed, Yuffie's weapon buried deep within his face.

_Eeewww…_

Yuffie acrobatically leapt off the corpse and behind a car, four grunts remaining - she heard them advance as the Materia in her Carbon bangle began to glow.

_This better work!_

The ninja sprang up, casting Watera at the four grunts, the wave of water rushing the men down a ramp, and into what she guessed was a parking garage.

Them, _and_ Kunsel, who was none too happy to wake up in the flooded room.

_Shit._

Kunsel was the first to recover, standing the knee-deep water and slashing to his left, his Rune Blade felling the trooper before he could gather himself. He then turned to scan the room, and found himself looking up the barrel of a gun – which was then thrown away, as Yuffie cast _another_ Watera, sending Kunsel tumbling among the waves just as his assailant did.

And then, it came to him.

"Yuffie," he said after climbing atop a car, "get out of the water!"

Hoping the girl heard him, the drenched SOLDIER leapt upward, grabbing a pipe hanging from the ceiling, and pointed his arm toward the water, as the beleaguered troopers recovered, aiming their weapons at him.

_Sorry._

Electricity burst from Kunsel's hand, the Thundara electrocuting the remaining three troopers. Their bodies not quite still, the convulsing figures fell into the water, floating amongst the wreckage that was already there.

"Yuffie?"

"Yup?"

Relieved, the SOLDIER dropped into the water. It stung with the remnants of his spell, but his Elemental Ward – although not mastered, like Luxiere's – reduced the potent shock to a minor sting. The man made his way out of the small subterranean garage, meeting the ninja atop the ramp.

"So… what the hell do we tell Reeve?"

The SOLDIER collapsed, reclining against a wall as his eyes scanned the abandoned Junon harbor. The Sister Ray was the only point of interest – other than that, the town was completely devoid of life – which was strange, even for Junon.

"I dunno," Yuffie responded, plucking a Materia from one corpse of the Heavy. She toyed with it for a moment, the small yellow orb glowing faintly in the sunset. "Uh… maybe we should just tell him that everybody's gone?"

o-o-o-o-o

The transports had left an hour ago, most of the residents surrendering without incident. But these two – some Wutai girl and her SOLDIER companion – had done a most impressive job of dispatching the remaining guards, Nero mused.

The Tsviet activated his PHS using a mechanical limb, and contacted his brother – whom he knew had enough on his plate at the moment.

"Brother," the Immaculate said.

"Weiss… the operation was a success. Carriers one through 6 are on their way back as we speak."

"I'm pleased to hear it," Weiss replied. "However…"

"Yes, that isn't why I'm calling. There's two people here-"

"And?"

The impatience in his brother's voice was telling – something back at headquarters was wrong.

"They've killed all of the remaining guards. A Wutai girl with a strange bladed disc, and a SOLDIER… I believe they're with that new organization that replaced Shin-Ra. Do you want me to 'address' them?"

The device was silent as Weiss paused, silently deliberating on what to order next.

"Follow them," the lead Tsviet finally ordered. "Scout out this… new organization and do not make yourself known. Also, be on the lookout for our Violet."

Nero was rarely surprised but this took him aback significantly. "I assume I'm not looking for a ghost?"

"No, you're looking for a SOLDIER. He's alive – apparently he was smart enough to equip a Phoenix Down before we secured our freedom."

"Understood…"

Nero hung the phone up, amused by the prospect of finding Luxiere. This day was just becoming more and more interesting by the minute. The restrained Tsviet stood, giving the cloudy sunset a final glance before he vanished into a sphere of swirling dark energy.

He had hoped to go to Kalm… but that could wait. The Violet was a much better quarry than the subject that was to be at the Festival.

Or so, he thought.

x-x-x-x-x

Hey all, throwing this in as an afterthought. If you're reading this, thanks for keeping up with my chaotic posting schedule. I intend to put more effort, clarity, and cohesion into the next few chapters, and there'll be significantly more action coming as I refine the story. Any and all constructive reviews and comments are appreciated. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9 - Outbreak

The cellular wall was completely gone, a brittle, organic shell on the floor of the Mako tank.

Its contents were gone altogether, the experiment removed the tank and sent to a room above – a young man with a pale complexion, dressed only in a hospital gown, snoozing gently in the gurney. An IV and a few machines were hooked up to him, displaying numbers and graphs on a few monitors in the small, dark room. It, like others at this level, was dim and only lit by lights which cast hues of blue on everything, like some futuristic, depressing dream.

"Heartbeat, breathing, physical equilibrium… stable," the aide said. She briefly regarded the sleeping adolescent, observing the silvery fuzz on the boy's head before she turned to Sloas. "Ross seems to be doing fine after our scare – the coma's abated, and he's merely asleep. His current status is similar to the unconsciousness brought about by Mako poisoning, although his body has absorbed all of the superfluous enhancements remarkably well."

"So he's finished?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," the aide finished. "Now, we merely need to wait until he awakes."

"Excellent," Sloas said as he observed the specimen. "Excellent indeed…"

He strode to the side of the gurney, administering a shot. A few moments after he withdrew the empty syringe, the boy squirmed around on the table, briefly opening a pair of sleepy eyes - that had a pale green glow to them, cat-like pupils visible in the glow.

o-o-o-o-o

Lee hopped above the swing of the sharp appendage and swung, her new Yoshiyuki effortlessly felling the Grashstrike in a single cut. Landing on her feet, she backflipped, drawing her Peacemaker and dispatching the last two monsters with a single bullet each.

As she gracefully landed, she holstered the revolver, surveying the landscape, now devoid of enemy life.

"Not bad, for a _Second_…"

"Up yours, Lux! Just end the simulation," Lee retorted, even as a grin appeared on her face. The Wutaian SOLDIER strolled past the disintegrating scenery, and as it vanished, the door to the VR room became visible, and she let herself out. "So someone's enjoying their new promotion huh? I mean, I always thought those bright purple Heidigger-era First uniforms would've matched you better.

Luxiere smiled, flipping Lee off as the two SOLDIERs exited the room and made for the cafeteria. There were more SOLDIERs that needed the room than there was space, but being a First, Luxiere could easily make space for Lee, who after a long, boring mission to Wutai, was in need of some action.

"So… you get your new mission?"

"Yep," Lee said. "I'm going after the Cap."

"Our Captain?"

"Yeah, Lux."

Luxiere sighed. Out of the three 'Famous Firsts', Genesis was the one who he'd worked with most, even when factoring in the considerable amount of time he'd spent under Sephiroth. He'd met Lee under his tutelage, shortly before Genesis deserted and Luxiere found himself a transfer to Sephiroth's platoon. And yet…

"So what are you going to do if you find him?"

"Well, I'm going to Banora first thing this evening," she said listlessly, as they passed a raucous squad of new W.R.O. troop recruits. "I'm just going to try to see if he'll help us," she finished with an obvious hint of sadness.

"Try to get him back," Luxiere said solemnly. "I mean… we could really use him around here, if he's not like, you know, hell-bent on fucking us up anymore."

Lee smiled. "I was there the day he attacked the Shin-Ra building too, you know…"

"Yeah, organizing the civilians' exit strategies while _we_ did the real work-"

"Still giving Lee shit for that, huh?"

"Yes, _Mister_ Harringer," Luxiere said as he dropped into a vacant seat, next to Yuffie and the hungry SOLDIER. She'll never hear the end of it," he finished. Lee gave Luxiere a sharp jab to the arm, before walking off toward the chow line with a smile.

"So Lux, you not hungry?"

"Nah, I ate some Gob's earlier." With nothing better to do in the cafeteria, he decided irking Kunsel would be a good source of entertainment. "You have a new girlfriend?"

"_Hell_ no," Yuffie spat quickly, mindful of Kunsel's ability to quickly pull off-color jokes out of nowhere. "We just got back from a mission-"

"She's the twerp that used to steal from Zack-"

That got Kunsel a hard punch in the shoulder, although her skinny arms couldn't do much against him. Both Kunsel and Luxiere chuckled as the annoyed ninja continued eating her stew.

"Nice bracer."

"Like it? I figured since you, Essai, and Sebastian were always sneaking them around, I figured they help somehow," Kunsel said, realizing that he and Luxiere were dressed nearly identical, except for their different bracers, Luxiere's hooded sweatshirt in place of the traditional turtleneck, and Luxiere's lack of shoulder pauldrons - he'd discarded the remaining one some time earlier. "It seemed to come in handy in our mission."

"Which was…?"

"We went to Junon," Yuffie said, gulping down a load of noodles. She seemed to look at Kunsel for permission before he nodded, allowing her to continue. "And umm… everyone's gone."

"Dead?"

"No, gone," Kunsel corrected. "We just spoke to Reeve and he really didn't know what to say. I mean… Junon's a _fucking ghost town_ and nobody knows why," he finished.

"Great," Luxiere sighed. "Junon's abandoned, I'm a science experiment-"

"And a dick," Lee added helpfully, as she sat in the remaining vacant seat with a full tray.

"Yeah, a big one," Lux retorted. "Want to find out personally? I've heard how you Wutai women like to get down-"

Kunsel snorted into his plate as Yuffie shot Luxiere a murderous look and Lee punched him in the ribs. It had only been a joke, but they'd been rough housing since their days as Thirds - they were all used to it.

"And as you wer saying," Kunsel said, "we're providing security for the K.R.F. tomorrow – no, not you two," Kunsel said to the confused women, "just Lux and I."

"Orders from Reeve?"

"Yup."

Luxiere sighed again. "I wanted to go back to the Shin-Ra building – Reno says the excavation machines have cleared up a lot of the remaining floors."

"Well, we'll go burglarize the leftover Materia from the SOLDIER floor when we get back," Kunsel responded. "And uh, by the way, our convoy leaves in ten minutes. If you're done getting rejected by Lee, let's go, _Mister_ First Class Rai," he snipped.

o-o-o-o-o

Even a genetically engineered man with superhuman abilities wasn't immune to writing cramps.

Weiss allowed his fingers to relax as he scanned the screen. No mention of a cure, an anti-virus, or anything that would free him of Emperor's Descent, the synthetic virus that was working through his veins, triggered by the murder of the Restrictor.

The most he'd found so far was that Shelke and Luxiere had been immune to it - not that it was helpful. Shelke, due to the staggering amounts of Mako that corrupted her physical development, had an immune system that destroyed the virus in moments. Luxiere, due to previous SOLDIER enhancements, hadn't had anything worse than a bad cough, and his cells obliterated the virus shortly afterwards. Shelke's Mako-filled blood was dangerous, even in a transfusion for someone of Weiss' physiology.

He theorized that obtaining some of Luxiere's blood would form a practical immunization, something that even Sloas didn't entirely deny – although there was a strange depravity to him lately. Sloas was excited about something, and rarely left his lab lately… which made everything even more confusing.

Sloas was hiding something. Scarlet was full of schemes. Shelke seemed even more absentminded than usual. His brother was obedient as usual, and Argento just didn't care – although he'd known long ago that she lacked their passion for what they were planning.

Other than Nero, Rosso, and Azul… Deepground was mighty strange lately, he thought, as he put the headgear on.

If a Synaptic Net Dive didn't yield anymore answers, then he was just stuck waiting for Luxiere's capture.

o-o-o-o-o

"I'm just saying I'd rather be back in the Gold Saucer."

"Lux, life isn't all titties and liquor, man."

Luxiere sighed and reclined on the wall, watching the men set up decorations and lights. SOLDIER was merely here as an escort, rather than security. The Kalm Revival Festival was set to begin in a few hours, but being the sleepy village it was, there wasn't much in the way for a group of genetically enhanced swordsmen to do. Even though Luxiere was the most quiet and aloof of his squad, he much preferred home - throwing beads at scantily clad women of the Gold Saucer carnivals who were too drunk to pay their inhibitions any mind - something which was certainly not the case in the quiet, conservative town of Kalm.

"So… how long are we here?"

"Until the festival begins," Kunsel responded dryly. "Once it's underway and they realize there's no danger, we're free to go take a vacation-"

"'Vacation' as in I'm going to get drunk, while you sit back in Edge and be a good boy?"

"Shut up Lux."

"What? I'm merely suggesting that you're kind of a stick in the mud, and-"

"Lux, my good friend… I do believe I told you to shut up," Kunsel repeated, as Cait Sith began giggling.

o-o-o-o-o

The Buster Sword sat in the small patch of dirt, bright and restored as the first day Angeal wielded it. The massive blade embedded in Aerith's flower patch, it seemed a fitting memorial to the two people Cloud had failed to save.

And yet even then, they'd forgiven him.

Cloud sighed, leaning back in the pew as his head looked to the ceiling. The dilapidated church somehow still stood firm in the ruins of the Midgar slums, and was often the place he came to when he desired solitude – a precious resource, given the renewed activity around Midgar.

And he still couldn't get Sephiroth's eyes out of his head, the pale green irises fresh in his mind, looking horrifically out of place on Luxiere's face…

_Death had not slowed the Silver General down one bit._

_ Sephiroth and Cloud met, the SOLDIER knocking the blonde swordsman into an abandoned office building. Shaking off the pain, Cloud recovered, just as Sephiroth flipped through the hole he'd made. Their swords met again as they clashed, before each Cloud darted away, flitting through the abandoned floor- as Sephiroth suddenly appeared before him.l_

_ Cloud barely dodged away as Masamune cut one of the supports for the room in half. Gaining his balance, Cloud surged forward, blocking Sephiroth's follow-up strike. Then the two slammed into each other, the Fusion Swords and Masamune's impact creating an aura of pale energy around the two._

_ "Oh? Where did you find _this_ strength?"_

_ "I'm not about to tell you," Cloud shouted, shoving the Silver General through the back wall. He then darted through it, looking for his opponent, only to hear a crash from above. A piece of the Shin-Ra building rolled down toward him, Cloud barely evaded the rubble before Sephiroth appeared again. The two clashed, the sound of their blades echoing in the emptiness. Cloud concentrated, focusing his energy into his massive sword to create a Blade Beam that scorched the concrete – as Sephiroth leapt away, carving a section of building which fell toward Cloud. The blonde swordsman dodged, his guard up as Sephiroth assaulted him again. Their blades met, and Cloud shoved the man upward, Sephiroth ascending toward the top of the Shin-Ra building. Cloud leapt up afterward, pangs of fatigue beginning to burn within him._

_ "I've thought of a wonderful present for you," the Silver General said silkily, as he sliced away a support, the massive block of building plummeting before being easily bisected by Cloud's blade. They traded sword strikes again, before their blades locked._

_ "Shall I give you despair?"_

_ Sephiroth shoved Cloud earthward, the young man plummeting head over heels before stabbing the Fusion Swords into the side of the Shin-Ra building. He stood on his improvised foothold as he looked up toward Sephiroth, the Silver General wearing a look of pure disdain._

_ "On your knees, I want you to beg for forgiveness," Sephiroth taunted._

_ He then closed his eyes, a brief moment of concentration before an entire section of the Shin-Ra building's top floor breaking off and plummeting toward him. Cloud briefly saw Sephiroth slice through the debris, as it steadily fell…_

_ Cloud?_

_ Cloud readied himself, falling and grasping the handle of his swords…_

"Cloud, wake up."

"Huh?"

Cloud awoke from the dream, not realizing he'd nodded off.

_The third dream about him in a week… this can't be good_, he thought. "What do you want, Tseng?"

The Turk stood just at the entrance, the hum of an automobile easily audible outside.

"Well, I'd like your help if you're willing to offer it. Can you accompany me to Kalm?"

o-o-o-o-o

"Aw, jeez! Put a smile on, would ya!?"

"The cat's right," Kunsel agreed, giving Luxiere a fatherly look. "Brighten up, Lux!"

The Kalm Revival Festival, two hours later, had begun. The overcast sky only gave the revelers a light drizzle, comfortable little cold darts against the skin of the party goers, an ecstatic Reeve speaking on a podium in the center of the fairground. Stands were alight with goods to be sold, restaurants were buzzing, men and women of all types and origins filled the bustling crowd, and unfamiliar sense of optimism among the masses. It was a welcome, infectious change – although Luxiere didn't share the feeling.

"I'm sorry," he said blankly. "It's just… something doesn't feel right."

"Yeah, we know, you're a miserable bastard," Sophie offered snarkily. "What's got a stick up your ass this time?"

"Nothing," Luxiere said, in a plain tone that confused both of the other SOLDIERs and the robotic cat in his hood. "But… I sense something... familiar."

"Something bad?"

"Something that reminds me of D.G.," Luxiere said. "I can't place it."

The three SOLDIERs stood in silence, barely listening as Reeve concluded his speech, activating a console on the stage that lit up a monitor behind them. A screen appeared, displaying the renewed activation of the WWN. After applause, Reeve introduced an aide - one responsible for assisting in the reconstruction of the World Wide network. The drizzling rain was likely the only thing keeping their attention – although Luxiere had been the most vocal about it, all of them were bored.

Movement caught Kunsel's attention, and he looked away from the speech, staring into the stands.

The portly lady stepped forward, thanking Reeve and beginning some politically correct speech about the struggles since Meteorfall. And that's when Kunsel saw it.

Perched atop one of the taller buildings, the faint blue streaks of Mako were visible on the scout's suit.

"Kunsel, you're creeping me out."

"Soph, chill… hey, Lux, does that look like a-"

The gunshot rang out, silencing the bustle of the crowd as the woman on stage fell, blood bursting from the wound in her neck. Her eyes rolled up into her head as she collapsed, the other people on the stage scattering for cover or pausing in disbelief.

"Shit," Sophia exclaimed, "I'll secure Director Tuesti, you two neutralize that sniper," she finished as the three leaped up. "Now, go!"

Both Kunsel and Luxiere rushed forward towards the building, obeying Sophia's command as she rushed to the stage to secure Reeve, weaving among the scattering, frightened crowd – just as another Mako suit appeared before them.

The weapon was ordinary, but the metallic appendage that held it was not. It was a skittish, thin limb, that pointed the handgun directly at them, the gunshot freezing them in their tracks. Luxiere looked forward and saw Nero's malevolent red eyes boring into his own, as Kunsel's blood spattered on his arm and the young man fell. Time seemed to stand still as Luxiere lost all awareness of the crowd around him, his eyes only on the twitching SOLDIER… and his assailant.

"Are you not happy to see me, friend?"

o-o-o-o-o

Tseng ducked below the baton, easily evading the clumsy swing as he spun around and shot the Deepground trooper point blank in the back of his head. Beside him, Cloud blocked a small barrage of bullets before leaping forward, burying his blade deep in the torso of the shooter. Judging from the noise ahead, something was wrong – and they had a suspicion of what.

"Cloud, I'm going to radio for back up," Tseng said with a hint of rare desperation in his voice. "Go up and try to stabilize the situation: and make sure Reeve is alright," he added with emphasis.

"Got it," Cloud said. He quickly assembled the rest of the Fusion Swords, and sprinted into the fleeing crowd, noting with annoyance that there seemed to be more of the Mako-suited troops coming out of the stalls and alleys…

o-o-o-o-o

Luxiere hadn't moved this fast in years.

Nero had gracefully stepped backward, four Deepground men appearing in front of him, all armed with EMRs and swords.

As _if_ they could stop him.

The enraged SOLDIER burst forward, unsheathing Crisis in a blink of an eye. A pair of quick swings decapitated one trooper and sliced the neck of another. The third rushed forward, swinging wildly at Luxiere, the violet-eyed swordsman evading each swing, impaling the man through the stomach on Crisis' long blade. The last trooper produced a gun, firing at Luxiere as he charged forward with the man _still_ on his blade. He thrust forward, sending the corpse flying into the man before Luxiere swung a short stroke downward, cleaving the helmet and face of the unfortunate man.

"Bravo, Violet. Maybe we were wrong to abandon you."

"I won't be wrong to _kill_ your ass!"

Dashing forward, Luxiere's body emitted a faint purple light as he channeled Firaga Blade into his sword, Crisis leaving a trail of flames in the humid air as he slashed forward again and again, Nero managing to evade each strike, amusement in his red, cat-like eyes as he nimbly evaded each swing, conducting himself as if he were enjoying a game, rather than dodging the murderous rage of a SOLDIER.

"Lux! Duck!"

Luxiere seemed to only faintly hear Cait Sith's warning, before he became briefly aware of the Deepground trooper in his peripheral vision. He ducked and slashed in a wide arc – Nero backflipped to the top of the stall, as the sniper's round went over his head. Luxiere sent a withering barrage of Dark Fira at the sniper, the evil-looking flames setting the young woman alight – and then he turned to find himself staring up the barrel of Nero's gun, as Nero's other arm stabbed him – lightly – in the thigh.

Nero's mechanical limb withdrew as Luxiere stared hatred into his face.

"You'd better hurry if you wish to save your partner, Violet," he said malevolently.

Luxiere stood fuming, before Nero suddenly, nimbly, flipped away – the massive blade of Cloud's Fusion Swords descending into the ground where he once stood. The SOLDIER and the blonde exchanged a brief look of understanding before Luxiere darted away toward Nero, Cloud running toward Kunsel's prostrate form. The crowd had dispersed now, Luxiere easily pursuing the deranged Tsviet, who cast strange orbs of energy at him – Gravity?

Luxiere slashed each one, the strange spheres exploding harmlessly as Crisis cut them. He had finally came within striking distance, when Nero suddenly aimed both guns at him. The pair of weapons went off, one round striking Crisis – the other round going into Luxiere's chest.

Everything seemed to slow, as the energy-enhanced bullet slammed into his torso. Nero's malicious voice became a faint murmur, as the environment slowed, and the world went dark. Cait Sith's shrill cries of concern faded away too, the pain in his chest the only sensation he was aware of. He seemed to suddenly drift away, the pain becoming a dull, persistent thud with each hoarse breath – and a strange sensation that was suddenly suppressing it, a sudden pressure in his left shoulder. Luxiere's wasn't cognizant enough to notice, but he could _swear_ that something was _in _his shoulder…

o-o-o-o-o

Vincent sprinted from his temporary dwelling, rushing toward the center of the town. Screams and sounds of gunfire echoed through the night, awaking the sleepy town, giving it an invigoration it never needed. Amid pleas for assistance and the strange sight of oddly dressed soldiers, he entered the village square, encountering a massive man.

He had blue hair, and dressed in one of those odd, glowing suits. But besides his strange black eyes with glowing yellow pupils, Vincent's attention was immediately commanded by the massive cannon clutched in the man's hand, which was immediately pointed at him.

"Greetings, Mr. Valentine," Azul the Cerulean said, correcting his aim and pulling the trigger.

x-x-x-x-x

Author's Notes

Whew. That took a while. I'll try to post another chapter tonight. Reviews and critiques are appreciated if you have any!

- Reggie


End file.
